The thesis examines metafiction in the novel Immortality (L'Immortalité, 1990) by the Czech writer Milan Kundera (1929–2023). Metafiction is a self-referential and self-conscious type of fiction that, through the use of various narrative techniques, encourages readers to engage with the literary text in a theoretically informed and critically aware manner. As discussed in this thesis, metafiction is closely related to the concepts of postmodernism and intertextuality (or citation), and the relationship between these concepts is therefore explored in detail. The narrative analysis of the novel draws on Julija Uršič's typology, which distinguishes between meta- and intertextual metafictional strategies. These strategies are then examined in depth through the example of Kundera's Immortality. To facilitate an understanding of the context in which the novel was written, the thesis also provides a synoptic socio-political and cultural outline of the relevant historical events. The interpretation of Immortality addresses a range of issues, including the significance and function of metafictional strategies, the potential realization of Kundera's literary credo as set out in The Art of the Novel (L'Art du roman, 1986), the narrator's playful and provocative stance, and the novel's (possible) postmodernist characteristics.
|
