The making of illusion and the "suspension of disbelief" in postmodern spirit: The Reflection of Contemporary Literary Theories in Woody Allen's The Kugelmass Episode

Bakó, Judit (2001) The making of illusion and the "suspension of disbelief" in postmodern spirit: The Reflection of Contemporary Literary Theories in Woody Allen's The Kugelmass Episode. Masters, Szegedi Tudományegyetem.

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Abstract

This thesis looks at the relationship between four characteristic features of postmodern literary texts in general and, more specifically, Woody Allen's short story The Kugelmass Episode. Chapter 1 explores the background, evolution, and a newly-developed form of selfreflexivity (specifically "designed" for postmodern texts). I also touch on the somewhat problematic relationship between fiction (art) and reality (life) in terms ofthe conventions of realism, as well as the conscious nature of self-reflexive narratives. The investigation of this theme from different angles forms an organic part ofeach chapter, in 2/b and 5 in particular. Chapter 2 examines metafictional tendencies and their implications for the authorial power and - also under a separate subchapter in the following section - the role ofthe reader within the author-text-reader triangle. I briefly discuss the sometimes difficult reception of metafictional works by the literary community too, and referring to contemporary theories, I look at how these texts are read differently from traditional literature. Chapter 3 investigates the notion of intertextuality in its tight and broad sense, and is seen - along with self-reflexivity and metafiction - to be a literary response to postmodernism and its "crisis" ofrepresentation. Chapter 4 sets out to explore hypertext, not as a technical phenomenon but that of the nonlinear tradition, in an attempt to outline the main issues within the emerging field ofstudies of the reception and reading process. In Chapter 5 I examine the applicability of contemporary literary theories for the interpretation of Woody Allen's short story, and also the reflection of the postmodern narrative strategies discussed throughout the previous chapters.

Institution

Szegedi Tudományegyetem

Faculty

Gyula Juhász Teacher Training College

Department

Angol Tanszék

Discipline

Teacher Training

Specialization

angol

Supervisor(s)

Supervisor
Supervisor scientific name label
Email
EHA
Hegyi, Pál
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED
UNSPECIFIED

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
Uncontrolled Keywords: Woody Allen, The Kugelmass Episode, self-reflexivity, metafiction, intertextuality, hypertext, postmodernism, contemporary literary theories, textual positions
Subjects: 05. Social sciences > 05.03. Educational sciences
Depositing User: Szerkesztő JGYPK
Date Deposited: 2019. May. 28. 07:56
Last Modified: 2019. May. 29. 06:39
URI: https://diploma.bibl.u-szeged.hu/id/eprint/76483

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