In some comic books, there are characters that are called 'Comic-aware' because they know that they are living in a comic book. Sometimes they joke about the situation, or talk to the readers directly, or do other things that break the fourth wall of the story. Examples of comic-aware characters include Ambush Bug, Deadpool, and for a while She-Hulk.
Does anyone know of any literary characters that are Novel-aware? Any characters that know they are living in a prose novel, and do things like address the reader directly? I'd expect this to happen in the science fiction or fantasy genre more than any other kind of book, but I can't think of any examples.
Note that diaries do not count. I'm not looking for characters that write things within their story. I'm not looking for things like, "To whomever reading this, this is an account of amazing events in my life." That character is still living within the story, he's just making a log of it. I'm looking for something like, "To whomever reading this, hi. I'm just words on a page to you, but if you could skip to the end and tell me whether I live through this or not, I'd appreciate it." Or maybe they'd pick up the phone and say, "Hello, room service? Send up a plot and three pages of dialogue right away!" (That last is an Ambush Bug quote.)
Wikipedia lists some novels as breaking the fourth wall, but they don't describe how or whether the characters are the ones doing it. For example, the novelist himself appears in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and flips a coin to determine the ending, but I don't know if any of the characters came to the realization that they were in a novel. And I don't see any SF/F books listed in the Fourth Wall wiki entry. Anyone know of any?
> In some comic books, there are characters that are called 'Comic-aware' > because they know that they are living in a comic book. Sometimes they > joke about the situation, or talk to the readers directly, or do other > things that break the fourth wall of the story. Examples of comic-aware > characters include Ambush Bug, Deadpool, and for a while She-Hulk.
> Does anyone know of any literary characters that are Novel-aware? > Any characters that know they are living in a prose novel, and do things > like address the reader directly? I'd expect this to happen in the > science fiction or fantasy genre more than any other kind of book, but > I can't think of any examples.
> Note that diaries do not count. I'm not looking for characters that > write things within their story. I'm not looking for things like, "To > whomever reading this, this is an account of amazing events in my life." > That character is still living within the story, he's just making a log > of it. I'm looking for something like, "To whomever reading this, hi. > I'm just words on a page to you, but if you could skip to the end and tell > me whether I live through this or not, I'd appreciate it." Or maybe > they'd > pick up the phone and say, "Hello, room service? Send up a plot and three > pages of dialogue right away!" (That last is an Ambush Bug quote.)
> Wikipedia lists some novels as breaking the fourth wall, but they don't > describe how or whether the characters are the ones doing it. For > example, > the novelist himself appears in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and flips > a coin to determine the ending, but I don't know if any of the characters > came to the realization that they were in a novel. And I don't see any > SF/F books listed in the Fourth Wall wiki entry. Anyone know of any?
Remus Shepherd <re...@panix.com> writes: > Wikipedia lists some novels as breaking the fourth wall, but they don't > describe how or whether the characters are the ones doing it. For example, > the novelist himself appears in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and flips > a coin to determine the ending, but I don't know if any of the characters > came to the realization that they were in a novel. And I don't see any > SF/F books listed in the Fourth Wall wiki entry. Anyone know of any?
Dunno if this comes close to your need, but there is the movie "Stranger Than Fiction." The movie starts with the viewer following a boring and ordinary guy-- who starts to hear the narrator reading aloud the book he's in. Things get very strange from there. I haven't seen it, but it sounds like a very meta approach to the whole fourth-wall thing and might be a fun watch.
>> Wikipedia lists some novels as breaking the fourth wall, but they don't >> describe how or whether the characters are the ones doing it. For example, >> the novelist himself appears in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and flips >> a coin to determine the ending, but I don't know if any of the characters >> came to the realization that they were in a novel. And I don't see any >> SF/F books listed in the Fourth Wall wiki entry. Anyone know of any?
> Dunno if this comes close to your need, but there is the movie > "Stranger Than Fiction." The movie starts with the viewer following a > boring and ordinary guy-- who starts to hear the narrator reading > aloud the book he's in. Things get very strange from there. I > haven't seen it, but it sounds like a very meta approach to the whole > fourth-wall thing and might be a fun watch.
It's great.
Not at all what people would generally expect from a movie Will Farrell stars in. It's very dreamlike, elegant and sweet.
Elf M. Sternberg wrote: > Remus Shepherd <re...@panix.com> writes:
>> Wikipedia lists some novels as breaking the fourth wall, but they >> don't describe how or whether the characters are the ones doing it. >> For example, the novelist himself appears in 'The French >> Lieutenant's Woman' and flips a coin to determine the ending, but I >> don't know if any of the characters came to the realization that >> they were in a novel. And I don't see any SF/F books listed in the >> Fourth Wall wiki entry. Anyone know of any?
> Dunno if this comes close to your need, but there is the movie > "Stranger Than Fiction." The movie starts with the viewer following a > boring and ordinary guy-- who starts to hear the narrator reading > aloud the book he's in. Things get very strange from there. I > haven't seen it, but it sounds like a very meta approach to the whole > fourth-wall thing and might be a fun watch.
It's excellent. Emma Thompson is as good as you'd expect, amd Will Ferrell is a hundred times better.
>> Wikipedia lists some novels as breaking the fourth wall, but they don't >> describe how or whether the characters are the ones doing it. For example, >> the novelist himself appears in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and flips >> a coin to determine the ending, but I don't know if any of the characters >> came to the realization that they were in a novel. And I don't see any >> SF/F books listed in the Fourth Wall wiki entry. Anyone know of any?
> Dunno if this comes close to your need, but there is the movie >"Stranger Than Fiction." The movie starts with the viewer following a >boring and ordinary guy-- who starts to hear the narrator reading >aloud the book he's in. Things get very strange from there. I >haven't seen it, but it sounds like a very meta approach to the whole >fourth-wall thing and might be a fun watch.
Here's its IMDB listing. Yes, it looks intriguing. Part of the plot is that the narrator is an author *in the process of writing* his life-story and trying to figure out how she's going to kill him off. He has to find her and persuade her to write a new ending in which he survives.
On Aug 25, 1:22 pm, "Mike Schilling" <mscottschill...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> It's excellent. Emma Thompson is as good as you'd expect, amd Will Ferrell > is a hundred times better.
"A hundred times better" than you would expect of Ferrell, I presume you mean; say that he is a hundred times better than Emma Thompson and I will profoundly disagree.
I liked the movie itself though, and here my errant memory lets me down on the specifics, but I remember that I thought the ending somewhat contrived.
But then, I've contrived some far-fetched endings of my own.
> Remus Shepherd <re...@panix.com> writes: > > Wikipedia lists some novels as breaking the fourth wall, but they don't > > describe how or whether the characters are the ones doing it. For example, > > the novelist himself appears in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and flips > > a coin to determine the ending, but I don't know if any of the characters > > came to the realization that they were in a novel. And I don't see any > > SF/F books listed in the Fourth Wall wiki entry. Anyone know of any? > Dunno if this comes close to your need, but there is the movie > "Stranger Than Fiction." The movie starts with the viewer following a > boring and ordinary guy-- who starts to hear the narrator reading > aloud the book he's in. Things get very strange from there. I > haven't seen it, but it sounds like a very meta approach to the whole > fourth-wall thing and might be a fun watch.
There are tons of examples of breaking the fourth wall in plays and movies. However, if 'Stranger than Fiction' were based on a novel, that novel is precisely what I was hoping to find. (Except, ya know, I was hoping someone did it in sci-fi/fantasy.)
Wiki says that movie was influenced by a spanish novel called 'Niebla', and a british one called 'The Comforters', but it wasn't based entirely on either of them. So that adds to my list of novels to examine; thanks!
I've also since been reminded of Kilgore Trout, in Vonnegut's stories. I wonder if Trout is the only novel-aware character in the SFF genre.
archon...@googlemail.com wrote: > On Aug 25, 1:22 pm, "Mike Schilling" <mscottschill...@hotmail.com> > wrote:
>> It's excellent. Emma Thompson is as good as you'd expect, amd Will >> Ferrell is a hundred times better.
> "A hundred times better" than you would expect of Ferrell, I presume > you mean; say that he is a hundred times better than Emma Thompson > and I will profoundly disagree.
Remus Shepherd wrote: > Does anyone know of any literary characters that are Novel-aware? > Any characters that know they are living in a prose novel, and do > things like address the reader directly? I'd expect this to happen > in the science fiction or fantasy genre more than any other kind of > book, but I can't think of any examples.
The Neverending Story, kind of.
Brian
-- If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who won't shut up. -- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)
