METAFICTIONAL EXPLORATIONS IN DETECTIVE FICTION: JULIAN BARNES'S ARTHUR & GEORGE AND POSTMODERN INTRICACIES

Abstract

This research paper delves into the intricate realm of postmodern detective fiction through an in-depth analysis of Julian Barnes's novel, Arthur & George. Detective fictions of Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie were formed following the notions of modernity and enlightenment ideals. However, postmodernism emerged as a counterforce to Enlightenment concepts, and detective fiction is no exception. Postmodern detective fiction subverts traditional detective story conventions through techniques such as metafiction, parody, and intertextuality. The present paper also explores fictions of postmodern authors like John Fowles, Umberto Eco, Paul Auster, and Jorge Luis Borges and their metafictional techniques to challenge the traditional detective's role and disrupt the boundary between fiction and reality with detailed analysis of these metafictional techniques in Julian Barnes’s novel Arthur & George.