Question

Which sentences in this excerpt from John Barth's "Lost in the Funhouse" show the postmodern element of self-reflexivity?

1)En route to Ocean City he sat in the back seat of the family car with his brother Peter, age fifteen,

2)Magda G_____, age fourteen, a pretty girl and exquisite young lady who lived not far from them on B____ Street

3)Initials, blanks, or both were often substituted for proper names in nineteenth century fiction to enhance the illusion of reality.

4)Interestingly, as with other aspects of realism, it is an illusion that is being enhanced, by purely artificial means.

Answer 1

Being self-reflexive means it discusses itself or reflects on itself. This is not based on facts, as many post modern ideologies are want to do. But rather it bases on a topic and then derives truths from that topic.

The correct answer is 4. It notes realism and then says realism is an illusion.

Answer 2

The sentences in this excerpt from John Barth's "Lost in the Funhouse" that show the postmodern element of self-reflexivity are:

3)Initials, blanks, or both were often substituted for proper names in nineteenth century fiction to enhance the illusion of reality.

4)Interestingly, as with other aspects of realism, it is an illusion that is being enhanced, by purely artificial means.

Self-reflexivity is a literary device that consists in making the author's manner of composition the main focus of attention. While the writer tells a story, he/she also tells the readers about the choices made and the organization and structure of the text. This literary device allows the readers to be inside the writer's mind; however, sometimes the writer does not always tell the truth. In that way, it is necessary for the reader to be able to distinguish what is real from what is not. In this two sentences from "Lost in the Funhouse", John Barth refers to literary strategies and choices.