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Metafic: Difference between revisions
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A '''metafic''' (or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metafiction metafiction]) is a work of fiction that explores the nature of fiction itself. Much like any mechanism, fiction can malfunction, creating misleading expectations in the mind of the reader. If one were to read nothing but romance stories that end happily, one might come to think that all romances, no matter how turbulent, will come out well in the end. ''Daria'' fanfiction can malfunction, too. Too many [[Daria Morgendorffer|Daria]]/[[Trent Lane|Trent]] [[shippers]], and a reader might believe they are the perfect couple, blithely ignoring such important issues as Daria being underage or the two having nothing in common.
A metafic (metafanfic?) self-consciously 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. At times fanfic authors meet their creations, but the ''Daria'' characters get revenge on the authors for abusing the characters in their stories.
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