Truth and Metafiction: Plasticity and Renewal in American Narrative

Metafiction has been associated with literary postmodernism, but its persistence in contemporary narrative media suggests that it has moved beyond postmodern skepticism to reassert the possibility of making true claims about real things. Josh Toth argues that much contemporary metafiction moves beyond postmodern skepticism to reassert the possibility of making true claims about real things, asserting or assuming a kind of Hegelian plasticity and actively and persistently confronting the trauma of what is infinitely mutable or perpetually other.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 14 January 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Metafiction has a long history of being linked to the heyday of literary postmodernism, often characterized by a sense of irresponsibility, political apathy, or even nihilism. However, as postmodernism is widely believed to have reached its end, it is intriguing to explore the continued prevalence of metafictional devices in contemporary narrative media. Does this persistence undermine the notion that postmodernism has passed, or has metafiction's function altered in some way? To address these questions, Josh Toth delves into a diverse array of recent metafictional works by writers like George Saunders and Jennifer Egan, as well as directors like Sofia Coppola and Quentin Tarantino. At the same time, he navigates a complex theoretical landscape, encompassing the rise of new materialisms in philosophy and the turn to affect in literary criticism. Toth's argument ultimately posits that much contemporary metafiction transcends postmodern skepticism to reassert the possibility of making genuine claims about real things. These forms exhibit a kind of Hegelian plasticity, actively confronting the trauma of what is infinitely mutable or perpetually other. They assert or assume a truth that exceeds the instance of its capture, renewing the truth and approaching it ethically. The grasp of metafictional plasticity lies in the way
the form of its narrative apprehension, which allows for a slippage of the truth. This slippage reveals the ethical dimension of metafiction, as it acknowledges the inherent truth that lies beyond the confines of any given representation. By embracing this ethical approach, metafiction offers a way to navigate the complexities of postmodernism and reassert the importance of making meaningful connections to the world around us.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 146 x 222 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501351723