Breaking the Fourth Wall: A study of Metafiction in Ian McEwan’s Atonement

Abstract

Metafiction is a postmodern style of writing that sheds light on the process of writing and the artificiality of literary works. The direct treatment of the process results in breaking the fourth wall between the fictional world and the reader. This paper explores the significance of the fourth wall in metafictional works as it provides metafictional authors a fertile ground to examine the intricate dynamic between writers, text, and readers within the sphere of postmodernism. Hence, the current study examines Ian McEwan's Atonement as an exemplary work of metafiction. In the novel, McEwan employs metafiction to question the reliability of storytelling and the subjective nature of truth