Breaking the Fourth Wall/Literature: Difference between revisions

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 * The very first novel written in a recognizable format was ''[[Don Quixote (Literature)|Don Quixote]]''. Its sequel features Don Quixote, the book, the author, fans of the book and a fake sequel written by a man who was not the original author, leading to the hero having to track down the Don Quixote from the fake sequel to get him to sign away his rights to the name/concept, in order that the real author can write a real sequel. That makes this apparently postmodern trope older than Shakespeare.
-* ''[[House of Leaves]]'' is unique in the fact that it has ''two'' fourth walls. The majority of the story lies in ''The Navidson Record'', telling the story of a {{color|blue|h}} with some [[Bigger On the Inside|interesting features]]. While reading, it's easy to forget that the {{color|blue|h}} doesn't even exist in the context of the novel. (Narrator/Editor Johnny Truant states this in the foreword, but even he eventually forgets this fact). However, there are several asides in the text of the ''Record'' to remind the reader that "none of this ever happened." Early on, a paragraph about the Navidson's famous friends is riddled with blanks, as if Zampano had yet to decide which celebrities to fill in the blanks with. Later, in Will's drunken apology letter to Karen, <s>{{color|red|s}}</s> reveals a list of characters who do not appear in the novel. Finally, both Will ''and'' Johnny find and read books titled ''{{color|blue|H}} of Leaves,'' which [[Mind Screw|brings up paradoxes]] [[Things Man Was Not Meant to Know|perhaps better left unexplored...]]
+* ''[[House of Leaves]]'' is unique in the fact that it has ''two'' fourth walls. The majority of the story lies in ''The Navidson Record'', telling the story of a {{color|blue|house}} with some [[Bigger On the Inside|interesting features]]. While reading, it's easy to forget that the {{color|blue|house}} doesn't even exist in the context of the novel. (Narrator/Editor Johnny Truant states this in the foreword, but even he eventually forgets this fact). However, there are several asides in the text of the ''Record'' to remind the reader that "none of this ever happened." Early on, a paragraph about the Navidson's famous friends is riddled with blanks, as if Zampano had yet to decide which celebrities to fill in the blanks with. Later, in Will's drunken apology letter to Karen, <s>{{color|red|struck out text}}</s> reveals a list of characters who do not appear in the novel. Finally, both Will ''and'' Johnny find and read books titled ''{{color|blue|House}} of Leaves,'' which [[Mind Screw|brings up paradoxes]] [[Things Man Was Not Meant to Know|perhaps better left unexplored...]]
 * Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series usually has at least one moment per book where Piggie looks directly at the reader and snarks a bit, but the newest book, ''We Are In A Book'', is where it gets a bit... crazy.
 * At the end of ''The [[Illuminatus]] Trilogy,'' the main character realizes that he is merely a fictional character and that the events of the book are just that: events in a book. He then goes on to analyze some of the more [[Mind Screw|mindscrewy]] aspects of the novel, and to criticize the author for placing more importance on [[What Do You Mean Its Not Didactic|symbolism]] than on [[No Ending|giving the book a satisfying conclusion.]]