This master thesis offers an analysis of metafictional elements in the novels The Book of Form and Emptiness by the American writer Ruth Ozeki, Cloud Cuckoo Land by the American writer Anthony Doerr and Frankissstein by the English writer Jeanette Winterson, all published in the last four years. The first half of the thesis presents the theory of metafiction as a literary mode, the problems of definition and the overview of its typologies. Moreover, it charts its development from pre-postmodern novels, when it was not yet identified, to the twentieth century, when it became one of the most prolific and innovative writing strategies. The focus is on the classification of ontological and epistemological fiction. The second part of the thesis offers the interpretative and thematic analysis of the novels Frankissstein, The Book of Form and Emptiness and Cloud Cuckoo Land. Firstly, the focus is on the intertextual and meta-textual strategies according to the typology of Julija Uršič’ study Metamatika. Afterwards, we look at the themes and discern where the metafiction is most concentrated. The question is how the authors construct ontological reality through their narratives and to what end they use metafiction as a literary mode: either to draw attention to the problematic relationship between reality and fiction and to the multiplicity of subjective truths, or to invoke the presence of an author who can undermine or construct the ontological reality. There is also a particular focus on common themes such as the importance of literature and writing, the identity of the author and the protagonist(s), and more contemporary issues such as technology, artificial intelligence, gender roles and mental health.
|
