ELEMENTS OF METAFICTION IN JEAN GENET'S BALCONY PLAY

JEAN GENET’ İN BALKON OYUNUNDA ÜSTKURMACA UNSURLARI

Abstract

The main purpose of metafiction and dramatic metafiction (metadram) is to generate uestions between fiction and reality. Therefore, it draws attention to its own structured nature in a self-conscious and systematic manner. Although it is considered a post-modern writing strategy, the use of dramatic metafiction has a history dating back to Ancient Greek plays. The most well-known methods of dramatic metafiction are “play within a play” and “role within a role”. Jean Genet blurs the line between reality and play/dream in his play Balcony in this way. A brothel turns into a “palace of illusion” where dreams come true. The space provides an opportunity for customers who recreate themselves with play/dream within the institutionalized structures of power to postpone reality. Here, the author uses the “play within a play” to show the minds of the role characters. On the one hand, the present tense is broken and the “play/dream” covers all reality. On the other hand, the role characters forget their own identities and build their new identities within dreams. “Role within a role” and “game within a game” present the disappearance of the “real world” and “real identities” within the role and game within a holistic structure and constantly remind us of the game’s own fiction.