1. "The House of the Seven Gables" by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1851)
* Metafictional Elements: Hawthorne frequently interrupts the narrative to address the reader directly, commenting on his own writing process and the nature of storytelling. He also introduces characters who are aware of their existence within the story, like Phoebe, who contemplates the history of the house and the fictional characters who inhabited it before her.
2. "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera (1984)
* Metafictional Elements: Kundera explores the nature of fiction and reality throughout the novel, questioning the role of the author and the relationship between life and art. He also incorporates characters who are writers, like Tereza, who grapples with the act of creating stories and the challenges of portraying reality.
3. "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)
* Metafictional Elements: Vonnegut explicitly breaks the fourth wall, addressing the reader directly and commenting on the nature of war, the absurdity of life, and the limitations of storytelling. He also incorporates himself as a character in the novel, reflecting on his own experiences in World War II and the challenges of writing about such a traumatic event.
4. "The Crying of Lot 49" by Thomas Pynchon (1966)
* Metafictional Elements: The novel revolves around the protagonist Oedipa Maas, who becomes increasingly entangled in a conspiracy involving a mysterious postal service known as "The Tristero." The narrative is often fragmented and non-linear, with Pynchon constantly questioning the nature of reality and the possibility of knowing the truth.
5. "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco (1980)
* Metafictional Elements: The novel is presented as a manuscript discovered by a fictional scholar, which includes a fictional detective's investigation within a medieval monastery. Eco explores the interplay between historical fact and fictional narrative, blurring the lines between reality and imagination.
6. "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles (1969)
* Metafictional Elements: Fowles directly addresses the reader and makes explicit his role as the author, creating a sense of authorial presence within the narrative. He also introduces multiple endings, inviting the reader to question the nature of choice and the limitations of traditional storytelling.
These are just a few examples of metafiction. You can find this device used in many other novels, short stories, and even films.