从元小说的自我意识视角解读《处心积虑》

all,it is important to clarify the two worlds involved inthe text analysis of this part.On the one hand,the fiction may refer to Loitering with Intent,while the reality refers to the real life of the author Muriel Spark.It is also the pattern ofreality and fiction in ordinary novels.On the other hand,the fiction may refer to WarrenderChase,which tell the story about Warrender Chase’s experience,while the reality refers tothe real life of Warrender Chase’s author,Fleur.It can be found that reality is no longer theonly one,and readers shift between the two different levels of reality,so the distinctionbetween reality and fiction is unstable.Patricia Waugh summarizes four commoncharacteristics of metafiction,one of which is a pervasive insecurity about the relationshipof fiction to reality.

Conclusion

As a prolific and distinctive writer,Muriel Spark occupies an important place in thehistory of world literature.However,she remains a relatively neglected figure in terms ofher contemporary critical reception.As one of the most famous works of Muriel Spark,Loitering with Intent exactly falls into the category of metafiction and demonstrates thestrong features of self-reflexivity and self-consciousness.This novel summarizes Spark’sreflection as well as introspections about her previous creation,reflects her consistentartistic concepts and aesthetic ideology and then serves as a guidance for her futurecreation.Therefore,it is a piece of outstanding work worthy of intensive study.

Self-consciousness is one of the basic characteristics of metafiction,which indicatesthat the author has changed from the true representation of the external world and themental world to the revelation and reflection of artificiality and creation of fiction.Frameanalysis and play theory illumine the practice of metafiction and show the sensitivity of itsresponse to manifestations of self-consciousness.And reality has increasingly come to beseen as a construct.Therefore,this thesis tries to explore the self-consciousness ofmetafiction embodied in Loitering with Intent from the following three levels.

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