: Referencing the process of writing the novel as a part of the novel's plot I am writing a review of a novel, which I guess is postmodern in a nonstrict way. And I need help with terms.

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Some of the later novels of Jerzy Kosinski are good examples of metafiction, as is Příběh inženýra lidských duší (The Engineer of Human Souls), 1977, by Josef Skvorecky.

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I keyed into Google "A movie about itself", and I got this link to Wikipedia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-reference .

Metareference, a metafiction technique, is a situation in a work of fiction whereby characters display an awareness that they are in such a work, such as a film, television show or book. Sometimes it may even just be a form of editing or film-making technique that comments on the programme/film/book itself. It is also sometimes known as "Breaking the Fourth Wall", in reference to the theatrical tradition of playing as if there were no audience, as if a wall existed between them and the actors.

Metareference in fiction is jarring to the reader, but can be comical, such as in Jasper Fforde's novel Lost in a Good Book. The character Thursday Next remarks to her husband that she feels uncomfortable having sex in front of so many people; he is confused since they are alone in their bedroom, so she explains, "all the people reading us".

Which led to this link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metafiction

"Metafiction" is the literary term describing fictional writing that self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artifact in posing questions about the relationship between fiction and reality, usually using irony and self-reflection.

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