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STRUCTURALIST NARRATOLOGY/ˌmɛtəˈlɛpsɪs/
Metalepsis
Etymology: Ancient Greek 'metalēpsis' (participation, transition).
Theorist Origin: Gérard Genette (1972)
Formulaic Definition
A paradoxical boundary breach wherein an agent or entity moves across ontological narrative levels (e.g. an author entering the fictional world, or a character addressing the real author).
Formal Mathematical / Diagrammatic Model:
Level_i ⟷ Level_j where i ≠ j (Ontological Boundary Collapse)Canonical Literature Specimen
“In Tristram Shandy, the narrator asks the reader to help close the door of the room where characters are speaking; in Monty Python, an animator's hand erases a monster.”
Related Lexicon Terms
DiegesisMise en AbymeUnreliable Narrator