To Be or Not to Be: On the Ontology and Morality of Metafictional Characters in The Dirge City Story

The Dirge City Story is a speculative metafiction about a character that learns of his own fictionality, and the fictionality of his world, the way he comes to terms with this knowledge and how his newfound understanding affects the choices he makes. The story is set in the mind of the author; it examines the relationship between protagonists, antagonists and conflict in story-creation, and attempts to subvert stereotypes within the fantasy genre and comment on storytelling within the genre. This thesis is also a critical exploration of the ontology of self-aware fictional characters and the effect of self-awareness on morality. By examining the second act from The Dirge City Story, it investigates the context in which metafictional characters can be said to exist, how they come to terms with the awareness of their fictional existence and under what conditions can morality be sustained in a metafictional world. Throughout the thesis, the relationship between the author, the reader and the characters is scrutinised, with a focus on how their relations affects the characters’ ontologies and the consequences for their attitudes towards morality.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

ma

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Central Lancashire

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Anwar, Zakarya

• Literature in its original language

Language dc:language

en