1. Circular narratives: This term refers to stories that start and end at the same point, often with a sense of repetition or cyclical events. They can have a variety of purposes:
* Highlighting a cycle: Like a character's journey that ultimately leads back to their starting point, emphasizing the inevitability of life's cycles.
* Creating a sense of the absurd: Repeating events can emphasize the futility of certain actions or highlight a character's inability to escape a pattern.
* Exploring time as a loop: Some stories use circularity to explore the themes of fate, free will, or the nature of reality.
2. Books with cyclical plots: These books might not start and end at the same point, but they often have recurring themes, events, or motifs that create a sense of circularity.
3. Non-linear storytelling: Some books don't follow a traditional linear plot but jump around in time or perspective, potentially creating a cyclical feel even if they don't explicitly start and end in the same place.
4. Books with a self-referential nature: These books might reference themselves within the story, creating a loop of internal references.
Examples of Books with Circularity:
* "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger: Explores a non-linear timeline and the cyclical nature of the protagonists' relationship.
* "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut: Uses a fragmented and repetitive narrative to explore the horrors of war and the cyclical nature of time.
* "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Contains cyclical motifs of wealth, love, and disillusionment that create a sense of tragic repetition.
Ultimately, the term you use depends on the specific type of circularity present in the book.