Poioumenon is a term coined by Alastair Fowler to refer to a specific type of metafiction in which the story deals with the process of creation. Fowler says, "the poioumenon is calculated to offer opportunities, to explore the boundaries of fiction and reality - the limits of narrative truth."Many metafictional novels that delve into poioumenon are either about the process of creating the book or contain metaphors for this process.
In Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie parallels the creation of his book to the creation of chutney and the creation of an independent India.
Other examples include: Laurence Stern's Tristam Shandy, Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire, Dorris Lessing's The Golden Notebook, and William Golding's Paper Men.
Pronunciation: poy-ow-men-on OR po-io-men-en
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1 comment:
Literally looked for this term for an hour thank you so much!
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