I created the diagram for a term paper I recently completed. I wanted to provide an example of the complexities of managing the numerous meta-fictions that exist inside, outside, and because of a text. The diagram doesn’t show every kind of meta-fiction that exists, of course. I simplified it to only the Reader-Author-Object/Character interaction, but adding in the other meta-fictions that occur when commentators are added into the mix really spices things up (think: social media, MMORPGs).
The labels on the side aren’t meant to delimit impenetrable modes of analysis, but meant to convey some conventional perspectives.Those areas can sometimes overlap, change shape, or rearrange themselves depending on whatever text is in discussion. The clean breaks simply happened to work well for what I was trying to argue about The Tale of Genji.
What do you like or dislike about the chart? How would you alter it? Or, would you remake it completely?
And, for those of you who I kept waiting:
