METANONFICTION & METAFILM
Metafiction is literally fiction about fiction! These self-reflective, multi-layered stories can be about a writer trying to write a book, a reader trying to read a book, or even a character recognizing that they are a character within a book. Metafiction often blurs the lines between fiction and reality and ultimately poses questions about writing, reading, and books in general. Another similar format is metafilm, which self-consciously comments on films and the making and watching of them.
“ Stella: We’ve become a race of Peeping Toms. What people ought to do is get outside their own house and look in for a change. Yes sir. How’s that for a bit of homespun philosophy?
Jeff: Readers Digest, April 1939.
Stella: Well, I only quote from the best.”
~ Rear Window
META NONFICTION
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
Allison Hoover Bartlet, 2009
“Book lover” takes on a whole new meaning in this exploration of John Gilkey, a book thief who stole over $100,000 worth of rare books, and the methods in which he was able to do so. Also highlighted is Ken Sanders, a book dealer and detective who for four years strove to locate and finally arrest Gilkey.
364.1628 / BAR
BOD / 364.1628 / BAR
Publish this Book
Stephen Markley, 2010
Funny and candid, this coming-of-age book chronicles Markley’s journey to write and publish this very book. He makes both hilarious and touching reflections of his previous ventures (some real and some he admittedly made up) and addresses what it means to write and to eventually find one’s own voice.
808.02 / MAR
Hamlet
William Shakespeare, 2006
Shakespeare’s classic play follows the vengeful pursuits of the titular Prince of Denmark upon suspecting that his uncle has murdered his father, the King. Arguably one of the first examples of metafiction, Hamlet includes a play within a play in which the young prince provides his own running commentary of its effect on the audience.
822.33 / SHA
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Dave Eggers, 2000
Though he considers this a memoir of the events following his parents’ tragic deaths, Eggers himself acknowledges that some smaller events have been fictionalized, even going so far as to allow his characters to observe that they are living within the world of the book. Combining both heartfelt reminiscing and wildly comedic prose, this book leaves readers to wonder how real is nonfiction and how fictional is real life.
B / EGGERS
METAFILM
8½
The very title of this Federico Fellini’s classic Italian film references the fact that it was the eighth-and-a-half film Fellini directed. It tells the story of a revered director who loses his motivation part-way through the production of his latest film, eventually mixing both his real life and his creative fantasies together.
DVD / EIG
Adaptation
This acclaimed movie stars Nicholas Cage in dual roles: as real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and as Charlie’s fictional twin brother, Donald. Charlie is a manically struggling to adapt Susan Orlean’s book, The Orchid Thief, into a working script, eventually writing himself into the plot and turning to his deadbeat twin to assist him.
DVD / ADA
American Splendor
Adapted from Harvey Pekar’s autobiographical comic book series, this highly praised movie is shot and presented like a moving comic book. Mixing both factual biography and creative liberties, it seamlessly includes both Paul Giamatti in the role of the curmudgeonly Pekar as well as appearances by Pekar himself.
DVD / AME
741.5973 / PEK
Living in Oblivion
Darkly amusing yet disastrous incidents seem to be cursing the movie of an increasingly frustrated director. This indie film about indie film-making depicts the director’s harried attempts to get his cast, his crew, and even himself through just one day of shooting.
DVD / LIV
Mulholland Drive
J. M. Coetzee, 2005
A complicated noir-style film, it chronicles a hopeful actress’s attempt to help her amnesiac neighbor regain her lost memories. David Lynch’s movie is nonlinear, with multiple dreamlike sequences and enigmatic scenes that comment on the personal reinvention and false appearances that exist in Hollywood, both on and off the silver screen.
DVD / MUH
La Nuit Americaine (Day for Night)
The cast and crew of a melodramatic romance bring their own personal dramas to set in this French film. In cleverly following both the romance’s production as well as the stories of the people involved, it directly discusses the process and challenges of film-making.
DVD / NUI
Peeping Tom
Amateur filmmaker Mark Lewis has a terrifying desire to kill young women and then film their panicked final moments on his video camera. A psychological thriller, it disturbingly examines themes ranging from madness to the voyeurism inherent in the movie-watching experience.
DVD / PEE
Persona
When a famous actress suddenly and inexplicably loses her ability to speak, she retreats to an isolated beach house under the care of a young nurse. Over time, the boundaries that separate them start to crumble, the movie’s graphical imagery and characters’ dreams meld together, and the question arises as to who these women really are to each other and within the film itself.
DVD / PER
Rear Window
In this masterpiece by Alfred Hitchcock, an injured photographer takes to spying on his neighbor, believing he has killed his wife. A tense murder mystery, it also serves as a subtle metaphor of films and the people that watch them. The photographer at first acts like an audience member and then becomes part of the dangerous action before him.
DVD / REA
Shakespeare in Love
Suffering from a severe case of writer’s block, playwright Will Shakespeare finds inspiration through his forbidden love affair with theatre lover and aspiring actress Viola. The references to Shakespeare’s prolific works are endless, providing an entertaining and intriguing analysis of the symbiotic relationship between artists and the creative process.
DVD / SHA
Silent Movie
Mel Brooks’ riotous parody of the silent movie genre centers on has-been director Mel Funn, who hopes to get back in the movie industry’s good graces by creating a silent film. Brooks not only deftly utilizes sound (and the lack of it) to hilarious effect but also stars as the suspiciously named Funn, a character that perhaps is not so different from himself.
DVD / SIL
Stranger than Fiction
Will Ferrell gives a restrained and affecting performance as Harold Crick, a lonely auditor who begins hearing a mysterious voice, narrating his very existence. Realizing that this voice is coming from an actual author who will be writing about his imminent death, Crick desperately searches to identify and stop her before she quite literally writes him off.
DVD / STR
Synecdoche, New York
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman makes his directorial debut in this revealing examination of theatre and film development. A director recruits a cast for his latest play, tasking them to reenact their real lives within the stage of a Manhattan warehouse and, in the process, blurring the line between real life and theatrical interpretation.
DVD / SYN
03/08/11
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