HISTORIOGRAPHIC METAFICTION IN THEODORE DREISER’S TRILOGY OF DESIRE

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to explore the correlation between history and metafiction and how it turned to recast the past events of Charles Tyson Yerkes’s life in fictional dress, Trilogy of Desire (1972).  It is universally acknowledged that one cannot escape from history. This research is based on descriptive qualitative method while following Linda Hutcheon’s theory of historiographic metafiction that deals with four issues in the novel; identity, representation, past and ideological association. The current analysis covers representation with special reference to the textualized extra-textual reference. The findings show that the emotional attachments, business activities and deep love for art of Frank Cowper wood, the protagonist in Trilogy of Desire (1972) are the reflection of Charles Tyson Yerkes’s life events. To get the valid data, the note taking and colour pen instruments are used in this research. The protagonist is portrayed through his words and actions as well as he is perceived by other characters. The analysis concludes that the author did reconstruction in historical events of the character which is a postmodern technique of parody to highlight the events of past in the current time in fictional dress. It is an attempt to make the reader aware of its fictionality along with the knowledge of the past events. Actually, it is a fiction about fiction.