Metafiction in Amy Bloom's "The Story"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Amy Bloom's "The Story" is a prime example of the numerous ways one can play with metafiction to enhance a reading or writing experience. The paper explains that Bloom uses two separate narrators to achieve this: One is self-conscious and the other one is not, but both are unreliable. The paper looks at how one narrator peels away the mystery of storytelling by discussing the elements of fiction, and even inviting the reader or audience to help in making creative decisions. The paper points out that combined, the narrators increase the self-reflexivity of the piece, calling the reader to reflect on fiction and how it is created and presented. In essence, this paper shows that Amy Bloom reflects on the art of storytelling by creating a self-conscious first person narrator.

From the Paper:

"Amy, the narrator from page 58 and onward, is aware of the fact that she's telling a story to an audience or reader, and constantly reminds the reader of that by asking the audience about creative decisions. "Can I say that the husband was not any kind of importer? Can I say that he was what he really was, a modestly well-known cartoonist?" she asks on page 58. She does it again in the following paragraph when she asks: "Should I describe him as tall and blond when in fact he was dark and muscular, like the husband?" This not only has the effect of temporarily taking the audience out of the story, but it also causes us to reflect on the elements of fiction, in this case, characterization. Amy also discusses her creative decisions by acknowledging (although falsely, perhaps) what effect they may have on the story as a whole."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abrams, M.H.. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 8th. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. 203, 243-244
• Bloom, Amy. "The Story." A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You. Toronto: Random House, 2000. 147-163

More papers on Metafiction in Amy Bloom's "The Story":

• Term Paper # 96700 : "The story of an Hour"
• Poem Review # 36870 : "The Story We Know"
• Analytical Essay # 64618 : "The Story of an Hour"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: