Metafiction and the Postwar Novel: Foes, Ghosts, and Faces in the Water

Metafiction and the Postwar Novel is a full-length reassessment of one of the definitive literary forms of the postwar period, focusing on the intimacies of writing situations and the emergence of archival materials and posthumously published works. It develops new terms for discussing literary self-reflexivity, derived from a reading of Don Quixote and its reception by J.L. Borges.

Format: Hardback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 01 April 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Metafiction and the Postwar Novel is a comprehensive exploration of one of the defining literary genres of the postwar era, often referred to as postmodern metafiction. Instead of engaging in extensive theorizing, this book focuses on the intricacies of writing situations, particularly how metafiction responds to readers, literary reception, and previous works in an author's career. The inclusion of archival materials and posthumously published works sheds light on the significance of different moments in the writing process. It introduces novel terms to discuss literary self-reflexivity, drawing inspiration from a reading of Don Quixote and its reception by J.L. Borges. These terms include the self of writing and the public author as a signature.

Across three comprehensive chapters, Metafiction and Postwar Fiction delves into how several highly regarded postwar writers were motivated to incorporate reflexive elements into their writing. The first chapter, on South African novelist J. M. Coetzee, offers a fresh perspective on how his fictions drew from and relativized academic literary theory and the conditions of writing in apartheid South Africa. The second chapter, on New Zealand writer Janet Frame, draws extensively from her fictions, autobiographies, and posthumously published materials. It showcases the ways in which her writing addresses a readership convinced that her work expressed the interior experience of madness. The final chapter, on American writer Philip Roth, explores how his early reception shaped his later, often explosive, reconsiderations of identity and literary value in postwar America.

In conclusion, Metafiction and the Postwar Novel provides a thorough and insightful examination of postmodern metafiction, shedding light on the complexities of writing situations and the motivations behind incorporating reflexive elements into literature. Through its comprehensive analysis of key postwar writers, this book offers valuable insights into the literary landscape of the postwar period.

Weight: 448g
Dimension: 165 x 240 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198871408