Metafiction

Definition

Metafiction is a form of fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, often blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality. It highlights its own narrative structure, reminding readers that they are engaging with a constructed story, which invites deeper questioning of narrative authority and meaning.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Metafiction often employs techniques such as breaking the fourth wall, where characters acknowledge the audience or the fictional nature of their world.
2. It can serve as a critique of traditional narrative forms and conventions, making readers aware of the artifice behind storytelling.
3. Authors like Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino are known for their use of metafiction, creating stories that question the nature of reality and fiction.
4. Metafiction can also explore themes of identity and perception, showing how stories shape our understanding of the world and ourselves.
5. It frequently utilizes pastiche, incorporating styles and elements from various genres to create layered meanings and playful intertextual references.

Review Questions

• How does metafiction challenge traditional codes and conventions of storytelling?
  • Metafiction challenges traditional codes and conventions by drawing attention to its own narrative structure and the devices used to create the story. By breaking the fourth wall and making characters aware of their fictional status, it encourages readers to critically engage with how narratives are constructed. This self-awareness disrupts the immersive experience typical of conventional storytelling, inviting reflection on the nature of fiction itself.
• In what ways does metafiction intersect with concepts of hybridity in literature?
  • Metafiction often intersects with hybridity by blending different genres and styles, creating works that defy strict categorization. This genre-mixing allows authors to experiment with narrative forms while addressing their own fictional status. By intertwining elements from various literary traditions, metafiction not only creates unique reading experiences but also highlights the fluid boundaries between genres, further complicating readers' understanding of narrative expectations.
• Discuss how Linda Hutcheon's theories about postmodernism relate to the function of metafiction in contemporary literature.
  • Linda Hutcheon's theories about postmodernism emphasize the role of self-reflexivity in art, which is central to understanding metafiction's function in contemporary literature. Her ideas suggest that metafiction serves as a means to critique established narratives and societal norms by exposing their constructed nature. This aligns with postmodernist thought, which often questions authenticity and representation in storytelling, encouraging readers to examine their assumptions about truth in fiction and reality.

Related terms

Intertextuality: The relationship between texts, where one text references or is influenced by another, creating a dialogue that adds layers of meaning.

Narrative Voice: The perspective or style from which a story is told, which can be manipulated in metafiction to challenge readers' expectations.

Self-Reflexivity: The quality of a work that reflects on its own nature or creation, often seen in metafiction as characters or narrators acknowledge their fictional status.