METAFICTIONAL SELF-REFLEXIVITY IN TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: A NOVEL

Metafiction is the term applied to a certain type of fiction, or tendency in literature, which started with French literary experimentalism in the 1950s and reached its peak in the 1970s. Metafiction is used to describe fiction that critically examines the relationship between reality and fiction, highlights its own formal elements, and calls attention to its own status as a work of art. Raymond Federman chooses to call this very unusual style “surfiction,” and in his novel, To Whom It May Concern: A Novel, he blurs the lines between reality and fiction himself. Federman’s novel is a notable postmodern work that exemplifies metafictional self-reflexivity techniques. The novel is particularly characterized by its self-awareness, emphasized through overt references to the storytelling process to such an extent that the narrative itself remains of secondary importance. He defies conventionally accepted and expected narrative forms in the novel by not providing the traditional reader with what they are prepared to receive. By focusing on the process of creating a story rather than the story itself, the novel loudly announces its fictiveness. This article aims to explore how the novel uses metafictional self-reflexivity in order to challenge traditional conventions of fiction. Through close textual analysis, this study takes a close look at the techniques Federman engages in throughout the novel such as innovative use of typography, direct address to the reader, and non-linear narrative structure, along with many other digressing methods. The findings suggest that the novel, with Federman’s self-reflexive techniques, serves as a notable example of self-aware fiction and unconventional storytelling, establishing itself a distinctive seat in metafictional writing. While the study is limited to this particular work, it contributes to broader discussions on metafiction and postmodern narrative strategies.