8. The New Era of Storytelling Part 1.

In my last blog post I explained that I envision The Great American Novel as a meta-fictional epic narrative. But what makes me believe the idea can be achieved through meta-fictional processes?

 An Era of Meta 

We live in an era in which the very ways in which we tell our stories are inherently becoming more meta.

The word meta may hold differing connotations for many but has Greek origins meaning either among, behind, or beyond. At its simplest, metacognition refers to our natural thought and cognitive processes. It’s our ability to think about and understand those specific thoughts. It’s thinking about thinking.

Here’s a simple example: I’m aware that I am writing a blog post and that you are reading it. Here’s an inverse example that could work with that same scenario, you the reader, can read the blog and comment on it.

Have you ever asked yourself how often you used your own metacognitive functions? Either way, those very metacognitive functions have always been the basic component to our storytelling both as individuals and as a collective society. The relationship between storyteller, story, and audience/viewer and their relation to metafiction is always necessary to keep in mind when discussing any story. But, I would like to argue that instead of that being a simple component to storytelling and our stories, we’ve taken a massive leap forward in terms of how we use our metacognitive abilities in relation to storytelling.

To me, it seems that we’ve entered an era of extreme meta. Heavily connected to all the other themes of our storytelling in our era of popular culture, there’s no hiding that we’ve become aware of being aware. Our popular culture as a whole has become exponentially more self-referential, self-conscious, and self-parodying.

From the individual, to the collective society our storytelling has become easily digestible or palatable through being aware that we are viewers or audience members to the stories we consume, or the inverse to those relationships.

This may sound like the beginning of some dystopian rant about the future of our storytelling being damned by the changes and advancements of technology in the advent of social media, but I only have questions. What could be the long-term effects of a person or individual, and a collective group or society that are constantly reminded of the blurring lines between storyteller, story, and viewer/audience? Do they become more performative than previously thought possible and accepted?

Here’s a bit more of what I mean – When you create an online profile on social media these days you have the option to connect with people from all over the world. How do you interact within that context? Are you the type to comment on different posts on all sorts of pages? What kinds of things do you post, or better yet, why do you post things? There are more tangential questions to ask, but the main question is, how do you decide for the world to see you?

I’m still not sure if my use of the word extreme is meant with a negative connotation. I know it’s a contradiction to feel neutral, but if anything I’m still only left with questions and thoughts. What happens when we all know the same stories? Not only that, but what happens when all can comment on, and influence stories as they happen?

When I write and speak of The Great American Novel throughout my narrative, it’s how I hope to connect with that theme of metacognition popular in our storytelling . It’s meant to be a form of metalepsis. I want it to sound as a massive leap in logic for you audience because I haven’t provided context (mainly, The Dream Series in its entirety). It’s important to my story that I aim to connect the dots along the way. I always want you to think about what The Great American Novel is and what story constitutes as a contender. I want you to always think and question. Not only do I wish to write a book series that personifies the idea of The Great American Novel, I want you the reader to feel a part of the journey of the book series’ completion.

An Era of Ego

It’s only right that our metacognition become so extreme. We know so much more than before. But that’s not it, of course we have all this information now, but how is that information shared and consumed?

It’s an era of ego. You think truth always prevails? Or that good always defeats evil? It’s become clear to me that doesn’t have to be the case anymore.

What happens when an individual can have all the information in the world, then even have that information circulate and reinforce their views, values, and opinion? What happens to us as individuals, groups, and societies when we disseminate large quantities of information better than ever in human history, and also have a choice to what we consume, do and don’t want to see? Does that make it easier or harder to connect with others, outside of things that exist within that protected realm of self?

The things we want, the stories we experience, and the very information we consume is now more than ever tailored to the self, and reinforces our ideas of it. We don’t have to agree with each other anymore, now anyone can hide the truth of their own reality, and entrench themselves deeper and deeper into their worldview. We don’t have to be right, as long as we can reason to be. Delayed gratification is losing its point, it means nothing when all that we want, all of our dreams seem so tangible, right in front of our faces. Retaining these protected shells of ourselves, shielding our minds from reality. I wonder if that’s why egos can become so, fragile.

I understand the narcissistic implication to be made for metafictional narratives, especially in literature. But in full transparency, that’s not all I understand. When someone tells you something absurd, most only think in terms of credibility. Are they believable or not? I understand that’s what most will consider, but that’s not all I want in question. Always remember that I want you, the reader, to always question. What makes someone believe themselves to be capable of something so impossible-something so improbable? While I can’t provide a definite answer, always know that you, my odd and inviting unknown are connected to the answer. 

Well, let this story, my striving for the intangible, reflect our ego.

An Era of Information & Hyper-connection

Whatever we want to know can be found. How awesome is that, all we can want- all we can hope to know exists within our hands. All of it within reach. Not only does information and the potentialities of knowledge surround us, but we also have an unreal capability to connect with each other. We can share thoughts, theories, memories with others in these new potent ways. 

Isn’t it ironic that even with all that we know, we still fall prey to misinformation and ignorance. It’s almost like no matter how far the advancements we make, we still remain all too human, ignorance still holds us in its clutches. There’s so much knowledge accessible, but is there such a thing as too much? 

An era of unfiltered hyperconnectivity. Technology, in idea and conception is meant to bring out the best of us. I genuinely ask you, and wholeheartedly care for your answer. Do you think it does? But even with the very ideas, thoughts that run our world and lives – even with all information at our fingertips, why are desensitization, ignorance, and loneliness rampant? How can we be so close to each other, yet still have a remaining feeling of being separated by chasms in our minds, and our hearts?

These themes like these and the ones I will explain in my next post all tell me now more than ever, The Great American Novel is possible.