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Fabulation and Metafiction
222 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
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About the author
Robert Scholes
83 books17 followersRobert E. Scholes was an American literary critic and theorist. He is known for his ideas on fabulation and metafiction.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 14, 2022
продовження його ж "Фабуляторів", але по факту - збірка статей на різні теми, не дуже між собою узгоджених+без визначення ключових понять
July 5, 2021
Application of Literary Analysis to the New Fiction of Its Time and Beyond - The late great Robert Scholes (his death was reported in early December 2016) was a master at applying literary analysis in this case to the “new” fiction then emerging when the book was issued in two editions.
My original acquaintance with the book came from a reference to its earlier version, “The Fabulators (which appeared in 1967) spoken about in Dan Wakefield’s editor’s notes and acknowledgements in “Kurt Vonnegut: Letters.” There Wakefield mentions Scholes and his book as the first and most perceptive critic of the Vonnegut’s work. I had also come across reference to Robert Scholes in Robert Denham’s “Northrop Frye and Critical Method” where there is allusion to Scholes’ “The Nature of Narrative” citing similarities and differences with Frye’s categorization of fiction literature.
The book itself consists of an Introduction, 5 Chapters focusing on different authors and aspects of fabulation, experimental fiction and an Epilogue to provide perspective (expanding and providing more depth from its original issue.)
Within the book, Scholes harkens back to one of first books printed in English in 1486, Claxton’s 8th Fable of Alfonse, for the term of “fabulator” as the writer who turns away from direct representation of surface reality. Such a writer uses “ethically controlled” fantasy and design to convey art and joy, a lie that helps us “realize the truth” Scholes found such terms as “experimental” or “metafiction” useful in describing a number of writers emerging during the 1960’s and 70’s. The book is an exploration of the major aspects of fabulation from Borges, Barth, Barthelme, Coover, Durrell, and Gass to Pynchon.
My favorite parts were not only those that deal with Vonnegut, but also those that treat the nature of experimental fiction and the works of the other contemporary authors. Scholes uses a four-dimensional framework to describe his view of literature. He then uses figures (i.e. 2X2 matrices) to illustrate these dimensions and the way this new fiction fits into this framework (see pages 106-107, 111, and 115). These figures seem much like the one offered by Denham in his book on Frye’s critical method. Then there are the figures in the Epilogue where Scholes looks at the up and downs in the history of fiction (page 211), and the rise of such new forms and other developments which are also insightful.
For instance, in addition to the recent re-issue of Scholes “Nature of Narrative” (Revised and Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition with James Phelan and Robert Kellogg) as well as the Franco Moretti edited volumes on “The Novel” (Volume 1: History, Geography, and Culture, and Volume 2: Forms and Themes).
Scholars commenting on Vonnegut are likely know about this work, but I heartily recommend it to anyone with such interests as well as those who are concerned with applying literary analysis to the fiction of that time and beyond.
My original acquaintance with the book came from a reference to its earlier version, “The Fabulators (which appeared in 1967) spoken about in Dan Wakefield’s editor’s notes and acknowledgements in “Kurt Vonnegut: Letters.” There Wakefield mentions Scholes and his book as the first and most perceptive critic of the Vonnegut’s work. I had also come across reference to Robert Scholes in Robert Denham’s “Northrop Frye and Critical Method” where there is allusion to Scholes’ “The Nature of Narrative” citing similarities and differences with Frye’s categorization of fiction literature.
The book itself consists of an Introduction, 5 Chapters focusing on different authors and aspects of fabulation, experimental fiction and an Epilogue to provide perspective (expanding and providing more depth from its original issue.)
Within the book, Scholes harkens back to one of first books printed in English in 1486, Claxton’s 8th Fable of Alfonse, for the term of “fabulator” as the writer who turns away from direct representation of surface reality. Such a writer uses “ethically controlled” fantasy and design to convey art and joy, a lie that helps us “realize the truth” Scholes found such terms as “experimental” or “metafiction” useful in describing a number of writers emerging during the 1960’s and 70’s. The book is an exploration of the major aspects of fabulation from Borges, Barth, Barthelme, Coover, Durrell, and Gass to Pynchon.
My favorite parts were not only those that deal with Vonnegut, but also those that treat the nature of experimental fiction and the works of the other contemporary authors. Scholes uses a four-dimensional framework to describe his view of literature. He then uses figures (i.e. 2X2 matrices) to illustrate these dimensions and the way this new fiction fits into this framework (see pages 106-107, 111, and 115). These figures seem much like the one offered by Denham in his book on Frye’s critical method. Then there are the figures in the Epilogue where Scholes looks at the up and downs in the history of fiction (page 211), and the rise of such new forms and other developments which are also insightful.
For instance, in addition to the recent re-issue of Scholes “Nature of Narrative” (Revised and Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition with James Phelan and Robert Kellogg) as well as the Franco Moretti edited volumes on “The Novel” (Volume 1: History, Geography, and Culture, and Volume 2: Forms and Themes).
Scholars commenting on Vonnegut are likely know about this work, but I heartily recommend it to anyone with such interests as well as those who are concerned with applying literary analysis to the fiction of that time and beyond.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews