NARATOR AS THE MEANS OF METAFICTION IN THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN

Abstract

This paper deals with the position of narrator and his importance in the novel The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles, in the context of metafictionality. The paper intends to present that narrator's comments, intriguing voice, taking of different narratological positions and ontological levels are Fowles's perfect means in disposing of fictional nature of his novel, which is the essential goal of metafictional novels. Along with other metafictional techniques, Fowles uses a strong ironic tone and parodies the conventional role of narrator in Victorian novels and in doing so he breaks the illusion of reality in a work of fiction.