Narcissistic Narrative
eBook - PDF

Narcissistic Narrative

The Metafictional Paradox

  1. 176 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Narcissistic Narrative

The Metafictional Paradox

About this book

Linda Hutcheon, in this original study, examines the modes, forms and techniques of narcissistic fiction, that is, fiction which includes within itself some sort of commentary on its own narrative and/or linguistic nature. Her analysis is further extended to discuss the implications of such a development for both the theory of the novel and reading theory.

Having placed this phenomenon in its historical context Linda Hutcheon uses the insights of various reader-response theories to explore the "paradox" created by metafiction: the reader is, at the same time, co-creator of the self-reflexive text and distanced from it because of its very self-reflexiveness. She illustrates her analysis through the works of novelists such as Fowles, Barth, Nabokov, Calvino, Borges, Carpentier, and Aquin. For the paperback edition of this important book a preface has been added which examines developments since first publication. Narcissistic Narrative was selected by Choice as one of the outstanding academic books for 1981–1982.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Narcissistic Narrative by Linda Hutcheon in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Teaching History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Preface to the 2013 Reissue of Narcissitic Narrative
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction
  6. CHAPTER ONE: Modes and Forms of Narrative Narcissism: Introduction of a Typology
  7. CHAPTER TWO: Process and Product: The Implications of Metafiction for the Theory of the Novel as a Mimetic Genre
  8. CHAPTER THREE: Thematizing Narrative Artifice: Parody, Allegory, and the Mise En Abyme
  9. CHAPTER FOUR: Freedom Through Artifice: The French Lieutenant’s Woman
  10. CHAPTER FIVE: Actualizing Narrative Structures: Detective Plot, Fantasy, Games, and the Erotic
  11. CHAPTER SIX: The Language of Fiction: Creating the Heterocosm of Fictive Referents
  12. CHAPTER SEVEN: The Theme of Linguistic Identity: La Maccina Modiale
  13. CHAPTER EIGHT: Generative Word Play: The Outer Limits of the Novel Genre
  14. CHAPTER NINE: Composite Identity: The Reader, the Writer, the Critic
  15. Conclusion and Speculations
  16. Index of Subjects and Names