Metafiction

Definition:

Metafiction refers to a form of self-referential writingg in which a work of fiction consciously acknowledges its own fictional nature. This literary technique breaks the illusion of reality in a narrative, drawing attention to the fact that the story is a construct. The term was popularized in the 1960s, although metafictional elements have been present in literature for centuries. By engaging in this self-awareness, metafiction often blurs the line between fiction and reality, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of storytelling itself.

Origins and examples:

While metafiction became a more defined literary term in the 20th century, earlier examples can be found in works such as Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote and Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. These novels feature characters who are aware they are part of a narrative, disrupting the traditional, linear structure of storytelling. In Don Quixote, for instance, the character of Don Quixote reads books about chivalry and begins to confuse fiction with his own reality, while Sterne’s novel plays with time, structure, and the very act of writing itself.

Characteristics:

• Self-reflexivity: The work openly reflects on its own nature as a piece of fiction, often drawing attention to the process of its creation or its narrative structures.

• Breaking the fourth wall: Characters may directly address the reader, or the narrator might step out of the story to comment on the act of storytelling.

• Intertextuality: Metafictional works often reference other literary works, blurring the boundaries between texts and questioning the originality of stories.

• Narrative loops or disruptions: Metafiction can interrupt the flow of a story with footnotes, authorial intrusions, or disruptions in the narrative to challenge conventional storytelling techniques.
  
  

Development in the 20th century:

Metafiction gained widespread recognition during the postmodern era, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. The rise of postmodernism, with its skepticism of grand narratives and emphasis on fragmentation and irony, created fertile ground for metafictional techniques to flourish. Writers like John Barth, Italo Calvino, and Kurt Vonnegut became associated with this mode of writing.

• John Barth’s Lost in the Funhouse is often cited as a key metafictional work. In this collection, Barth uses a story about a boy wandering through a funhouse as an allegory for writing and reading fiction, constantly reminding the reader that they are engaged in a constructed narrative.

• Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five also incorporates metafictional elements, with Vonnegut appearing as a character in his own novel and acknowledging the difficulty of narrating real-life experiences like the bombing of Dresden.
  
  

Impact on literature:

Metafiction continues to influence modern writers and filmmakers. Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay for Adaptation  is an example of metafiction in film, as it blends fact and fiction, with Kaufman writing himself into the screenplay about his struggles in adapting a novel. In contemporary fiction, authors like Ali Smith, Paul Auster, and Jennifer Egan frequently use metafictional elements to explore the relationship between writer, reader, and text.

References:

1. Waugh, Patricia. Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction. Methuen, 1984.

2. Hutcheon, Linda. Narcissistic Narrative: The Metafictional Paradox. Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1984.

3. Barth, John. The Literature of Exhaustion and The Literature of Replenishment. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979.

                                                                             Darina Důbravová, UČO 537314