Anonymous user
Metafic: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
Line 4:
A metafic (metafanfic?) shows how the reader is being mislead by repeatedly drawing attention to the critical flaws in a certain category of writing. The effect can be jarring on the reader, causing one to wake up and break the flow of the narrative, but this is exactly the point. The reader is thus alerted to unreasonable expectations and illogical consequences. Is [[Tom Sloane]] really evil? A metafic might point out that, aside from kissing Daria while still dating Jane, Tom is actually a well-mannered and good-natured character, his flaws being rather minor compared to folks like [[Tommy Sherman]] or [[Angela Li]]. However, the metafic might also have other characters treat Tom as if he were poisonous, or exaggerate his supposed evil to the point that he is the secret master behind every evil thing in history, from the Inquisition to disco music.
Metafiction can violate the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_wall fourth wall] by having characters address the reader throughout the tale or in brief asides, or by having fanfic authors appear in the story, manipulating characters and events in ways meant to highlight their particular styles.
Not all metafiction is so blunt, however. The jarring that the reader receives can be subtle, too. Consider a story in which Tom berates himself after ''[[Is It College Yet?]]'' for losing Daria, blaming his impulsive kiss for screwing up any possibility of keeping the relationship in the long term. While he does this, he goes about his daily life doing good works per usual, his real sins being insignificant compared to his achievements. This could challenge the "Tom Is Evil" stereotype that pivots around [[The Kiss]], putting that event in better perspective.
An excellent example of ''Daria'' metafic is [[Scissors MacGillicutty]]'s "[[Where's Mary Sue When You Need Her?]]" which skewers [[Mary Sue]] stories. More precisely, it skewers the idea that all Mary Sue or [[self-insert]] stories are terrible by being excellent, although the author himself has reservations about it. The author did intend to invert the traditional Mary Sue trope of having the self-insert character be omniscient, omnipotent, and physically irresistible, and his Mary Sue persona is weak, clueless, and can't even admit his attraction to Daria to himself.
| |||