Text, Author, and Character Relations in Postmodern Metafiction

This article investigates the discursive relationships among text, author, and character in postmodern metafiction. Traditional literary narratives generally establish clear distinctions among these elements by presenting authors as invisible creators and characters as independent fictional entities functioning within stable narrative structures. Postmodern metafiction, however, destabilizes such boundaries and reconstructs literary authority through self-reflexive discourse. The study applies qualitative literary analysis and comparative narratological methods to selected works by John Fowles and David Lodge. Particular attention is devoted to authorial intrusion, character self-awareness, and textual autonomy as metafictional devices. Findings reveal that postmodern fiction transforms conventional narrative hierarchies and creates multidimensional interactions among literary participants. These interactions reshape readers' perceptions of fiction, authorship, and narrative reality