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Study on Metafiction Theory

Author: WanXiaoYan
Tutor: ZhaoKuiYing
School: Shandong Normal University
Course: Literature and Art
Keywords: meta-fiction exposure fiction narrative criticism
CLC: I207.42
Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2010
Downloads: 187
Quote: 1
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Abstract

Metafiction has many other names, such as anti-novel, super fiction, Self-consciousness novel, Non-realistic fiction, experimental fiction. It is a remarkable literary phenomenon since sixties and seventies of the 20th century in the Western. The metafiction was first used in the novel Fiction and the Figures of life published in 1970, the author is William Gass, an American postmodernist writer, linguist, literary critic. Gass believed that the real metafiction is not only the work of fiction which investigated the work itself, or it will be very boring and mediocre. The real metafiction should be like some works of Borges, Bath, Flann O’Brien. In these works, fiction form can serve as a further type material. Metafiction makes the novel itself as object, and shows a strong self-awareness. In the creation of materfiction, the authors often used a variety of techniques such as exposure narrative traces, parody etc, they regard the text as a pure language product and display the process of their construction, making the combination of narrative and criticism, so as to think the relationship of art and the reality and reveal the rules of novel. As an important novel form of Postmodern writing, metafiction, except to question and test tradition, but also to reflect on itself. So people can continue to think about the formed reality view. In a scene, meta-fiction enlarges the representation of real space, which is propitious to the formation of a new reality view, and can be regarded as a good mark of self-consciousness awakening and development of novel. It has a great significance to the development of the novel art.In China, although academics have begun to explore the theory and method of metafiction, and some papers about this topic have been published in recent years, however, the theoretical study of metafiction is lagging behind. In this thesis, we study the creative practice and theoretical of Western fiction Writing to introduce the research theory of metafiction of the late 20th century by some metafiction works. The thesis is divided into five parts, and the first part begin with interpreting what is“meta-fiction”. First, we introduce the situation of western, how they put forward, arguments and relevant interpretation of the metafiction concept. Then, we discuss two different definitions of metafiction in our academic session. Finally, we give out a concept of metafiction, and determine the study object. In the second part, we review the theoretical origin of the novel. We believe that metafiction appeared in Western Contemporary social and cultural reflection of Postmodernism trend, influenced by the development of modern linguistic theory and the modern Western Philosophy. In the same time, it found its theoretical on the modern linguistics and philosophy. Basically, the appearance of metafiction is in line with the development of literature itself, and it also reflects the main consciousness of novelist. In the third part, we summarized the four basic characteristics of meta-fiction, which is playing language games;to highlight the arbitrary nature of language; exposure narrative traces to reveals the untruth of the fiction;Combination of narrative and critical which makes the cooperation of the fiction creation and fiction criticism;Using the complicated and confusing form to show the awakening of self-consciousness of novel. In the forth part, we interpretation the narrative techniques and operational strategies which are usually used in metafiction practice. In the last part of the article, we give a conclusion of the metafiction, and talk about the questions and challenges in the development of novel theory. Attempt to make objective and fair assessment of metafictional practice and theory, especially about its theoretical value.

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