Structurally, Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark presents the typical frame of metafiction, having complicated “fiction within fiction” and mise en abyme as well as texts from other genres. The exposure of artificiality in the novel is mainly carried out in three aspects: Fleur’s comments on the “novel within the novel” titled Warrender Chase; the vague boundary between fiction and reality; the imitation of fiction by reality. The metafictional feature in content is that Spark generalizes her viewpoints on issues with regard to the writer, the work, and the reader. The reviews of the creation in the novel itself demonstrate Spark’s self-reflexiveness and self-consciousness in the process of writing. Loitering with Intent is a connecting link between Spark’s present works and future ones, for it expresses her concepts of art creation and serves as a guide for her future creation.
References
[1]
Bold, A. (1984). Muriel Spark: An Odd Capacity for Vision. London: Vision Press Ltd.
[2]
Button, M. D. (1988). On Her Way Rejoicing: The Artist and Her Craft in the Works of Muriel Spark. The Nassau Review, 5.4, 6-14.
[3]
Byatt, A. S. (2008). Review of “Loitering with Intent” by Muriel Spark. http://www.audiobooksonline.com/0786194324.html
[4]
Cheyette, B. (2000). Muriel Spark. Horndon: Northcote House Publishers Ltd.
[5]
Currie, M. (1995). Metafiction. London: Longman
[6]
Dipple, E. (1988). The Unresolvable Plot: Reading Contemporary Fiction. London: Routledge.
[7]
Frankel, S. (1987). An Interview with Muriel Spark. Partisan Review, 54.3, 445-457.
[8]
Gillhan, I. (1970). Keeping It Short—Muriel Spark Talks about Her Books to Ian Gillhan. Listener, 411-413.
[9]
Glendinning, V. (1979). Talk with Muriel Spark. New York Times Book Review, 47-48.
[10]
Hosmer, R. (2005). An Interview with Dame Muriel Spark. Salmagundi, 146-147, 127-158.
[11]
Hutcheon, L. (1991). Narcissistic Narrative: The Metafictional Paradox. London: Routledge.
[12]
Kermode, F. (1996). A Turn of Events. London Review of Books, 23-24.
[13]
Lauzen, S. E. (1986). Notes on Metafiction: Every Essay Has a Title. In L. McCaffery (Ed.), Postmodern Fiction: A Bio-Bib- liographical Guide (pp. 93-116). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
[14]
McCaffery, L. (1995). The Art of Metafiction. In M. Currie (Ed.), Metafiction (181-193). London: Longman.
[15]
Muggeridge, M. (1961). Appointment with … Granada Television. 2 June 1961.
[16]
Ommundsen, W. (1993). Metafictions? Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
[17]
Page, N. (1990). Muriel Spark. London: Macmillan.
[18]
Richmond, V. B. (1984). Muriel Spark. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co.
[19]
Spark, M. (1981). Loitering with Intent. London: The Bodley Head Ltd.
[20]
Waugh, P. (1984). Metafiction: The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction. London: Methuen.
