Question

Which of the following is/are example/s of `metafiction`?

• A. Each chapter in a novel is narrated by a different character.
• B. The reader is a character in the novel who interrupts the story because he realises that he is reading an incomplete text.
• C. The narrator of the novel travels into the wild and encounters a man who embodies the horrors of colonial power. The latter then proceeds to tell his story.
• D. A character in a novel encounters a shabbily dressed man. Soon, this man lets us, the readers, know that he is the author of the novel and is contemplating the future of this character.

Hint:

Metafiction often breaks the fourth wall by exposing the mechanics of storytelling.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B, D

Step 1: Understanding metafiction.
Metafiction refers to fictional writing that self-consciously draws attention to its own status as fiction. It often breaks the illusion of reality by foregrounding the act of writing, reading, or storytelling itself.
Step 2: Analysis of correct options.
Option (B) is metafictional because the reader becomes a character who is aware of the act of reading and interrupts the narrative due to its incompleteness.
Option (D) is metafictional as it explicitly reveals the author within the text, commenting on the construction and future of the fictional character.
Step 3: Eliminating incorrect options.
Option (A) involves multiple narrators but does not reflect self-awareness about fictionality.
Option (C) uses a frame narrative but does not question or expose the fictional process itself.
Step 4: Conclusion.
Metafiction is best represented where the text reflects on its own creation and reception, which occurs in options (B) and (D).
Final Answer: (B) and (D)