Experimental Fiction

What do you expect to see when you first open a book? You probably expect to see chapters and, within each chapter, paragraphs with words running from the right-hand corner of the page to the left. Or perhaps when you look at the genre the book has been written in, you expect a tragedy to have a sad ending whereas a romance to have a happy one.

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Team Experimental Fiction Teachers

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      Now forget everything you just pictured because experimental fiction is exactly the opposite of what you'd expect from an ordinary book. It is a genre that defies the 'typical' definition of storytelling. It is all about breaking the rules and creating new ones! Now let's look at the techniques one can use to 'experiment' within literature, alongside a few examples of experimental books and short stories.


      Experimental Fiction Definition

      In 'normal' literary works (otherwise known as traditional realist works), there are several rules or expectations that all stories must follow for the comfort and understanding of the reader. These could be expectations about characterisation, such as the traits we associate with a protagonist versus an antagonist. We expect genres to have recurring themes and tropes. The structure of a story is usually laid out in a chronological sequence of events. Narration is stable and consistent. Language and syntax are predictable and easily comprehensible because they follow the rules of grammar. Well, writing experimental fiction is like entering a new foreign land with no awareness of these rules and expectations. It is about creating your own rules in literature or challenging the existing ones.


      Experimental fiction is a genre of literary work wherein writers focus on using innovative storytelling techniques that are playful, bizarre, risky, controversial or sometimes, even incomprehensible. Writers do this in order to push past the creative boundaries of existing traditional storytelling techniques to explore new ways of telling new stories. Some experimental writers also aim to pave the way for groundbreaking forms, techniques and genres, sort of like a new scientific discovery - but in literature!1

      Experimental fiction: A genre that defies the literary norms and conventions established by traditional realist works within the literary canon.

      Experimental writers are usually focused on producing something unique and innovative rather than something that can be understood. Hence, experimental fiction places more emphasis on form rather than subject matter. Experimental writers often play around with structure, formatting, language and syntax in unexpected ways while writing. They may include segments of poetry in prose. Readers may be greeted by empty white spaces upon opening a book. The traditional narrative structure established by Aristotle (384 BC- 322 BC) of a beginning, middle and end may also be challenged to create something that is non-linear.


      Here is an example taken from the first page of David Detrich's novel Big Sur Marvels & Wondrous Delights (2001) that blends the forms of prose and poetry to present the journal writing meshed with fictive elements.




      Experimental Fiction Example of Experimental Fiction StudySmarter

      Fig. 1 - The first page of Big Sur Marvels & Wondrous Delights (2001) by David Detrich.



      Ernest Vincent Wright's Gadsby (1939) is a 50,000-word novel that was written without any use of the letter 'e', the most commonly used letter in English. This was a piece of experimental fiction aiming to show that it is possible to create a story free from the constraints of ordinary grammar and vocabulary.


      Some experimental writers even fiddle around with genre conventions. For instance, they may choose to write a story with main characters that have no redeemable qualities. Instead of writing a crime novel where the mystery is solved at the end, the writer may pile the reader with more loose ends. Fictional stories can be interrupted by the writer recounting real-life memories or sharing their opinions. The possibilities are endless!


      The first piece of experimental fiction ever recorded was Laurence Sterne's The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759). This was written so early on that, at the time, there were no established 'conventions' of literature. However, Sterne breaks his narrative with an all-black page following the death of a major character in his novel in true experimentalist fashion.


      It is important to note that experimental fiction must be viewed in the context that the text has been written in. A piece of literary work may be unfamiliar, controversial or 'weird' today, but over time, these new forms and contents may conventionalise and become a part of mainstream literature. Hence, works of experimental fiction can only be considered 'experimental' for the time and place that they are produced in.1


      Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) may not be considered experimental fiction today, but it makes use of some complex narrative devices and structures that were unconventional during publication, and some may argue, even now. Frankenstein (1818) consists of three different first-person narrators, and the events of the story are presented in the form of letters written by them or to them. The story begins from Walton's perspective, who is writing about the protagonist Victor's story who is then narrating the monster's story. The point of view, therefore, keeps switching between these three characters in a way that had truly never been seen before.


      Experimental Fiction Frankenstein Experimental Fiction Example StudySmarterFig. 2 -

      Inside cover art from the 1831 edition of Frankenstein



      Experimental Fiction Techniques

      It is very difficult to establish the techniques and tropes of a genre that places emphasis on not having any techniques and tropes at all! Hence, it is easier to describe what experimental fiction attempts to not be rather than what it actually is. So here are some of the many conventions of literature that experimental fiction seeks to challenge.

      Traditional works of fiction consist of characters with clearly defined traits placed in realistic and predictable settings. For instance, there is always a clear demarcation between a protagonist and an antagonist, with the former being portrayed as more sympathetic than the latter.


      However, writers of experimental fiction often blur the lines between the protagonist and antagonist. Sometimes, there are no clear-cut heroes or villains in the story. They may base stories around protagonists completely lacking any redeemable qualities, otherwise known as an anti-hero. Who knows - maybe they choose to not have any main characters at all!

      As mentioned before, we expect tragedies to have unhappy cathartic endings; works of crime fiction to end with the writer solving the mystery for the reader. Horror consists of supernatural forces, dark, secluded settings and foreshadowing.


      Experimental fiction challenges these very genre tropes, often in unexpected ways, such as by suddenly deviating from genre conventions or by genre mashing. For instance, a tragedy may suddenly include traces of comedy. An innocent romance story may turn into something sinister and dark. A murder mystery may become progressively obscure and mysterious.

      Traditional plot structures of having an exposition, internal conflict, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution can be restrictive to experimental writers.


      Hence, experimental writers often break the chronological order of plotlines to produce stories that are non-linear and unexpected.

      Courttia Newland's 'Reversible' (2016) is a short story that applies the logic of time travel to narrate its events. It is a murder mystery that is being told backwards. The story opens with a description of the victim's body and then moves on to describe the scene of the murder. Moving backwards this way, the writer retraces her steps right to the point where the victim is safe at home, unaware of the tragedy that is about to befall him.


      Fictional vs non-fictional narratives

      In experimental fiction, fictional stories are often interrupted with segments of non-fictional anecdotes. Writers may suddenly link fictional events in the story to non-fictional anecdotes from their real lives or provide a commentary on the plotline or their writing style.



      Lincoln in the Bardo (2017) by George Saunders is an experimental novel inspired by the death of Abraham Lincoln's son William Wallace Lincoln. Saunders was inspired by newspaper accounts of Lincoln visiting his son's grave, which made him contemplate how a father may grieve the loss of his son while running a nation. While the story consists of historical facts about Lincoln, it is set in a fictional place called Bardo, which is a space between life and death where Lincoln's dead son is greeted by multiple fictional characters (who are also dead) trying to help him pass over.

      Experimental works of fiction can be written in both poetry and prose or incorporate combinations of the two.


      In Grief is a Thing with Feathers (2015), Max Porter blends poetry and prose to contemplate the grief experienced by a family coping with their mother's death. The book consists of random memories, dialogues taken from conversations and poetry to discuss the themes of love and loss.

      Imagine forgetting all the rules of grammar, including the spelling of words, their meanings and how they fit together. Experimental fiction explores different ways of playing around with language, syntax and wordplay. This can be done by ascribing new meanings to words.


      Ella Minnow Pea (2001) by Mark Dunn is a progressively lipogrammatic novel. This means that as the story progresses, more and more letters of the alphabet are excluded from the narration. As the story progresses, the text becomes harder to decipher as the spellings become more creative and phonetic.

      When experimental writers see a blank page, they view endless possibilities when it comes to the layout of how their text must be printed on the page. Instead of the rigid consistency of margins, horizontal lines, paragraphs and chapters, experimental works of fiction may form different designs on the page. They may leave spaces blank or make use of different fonts, font sizes or images to break up the traditional prose layout.


      The Raw Shark Texts (2007) by Steven Hall narrates the story of a person who wakes up without memories and begins following clues written by himself in the past. The mystery unsolves to the revelation of a conceptual shark that is preying on the memories of the protagonist. Interestingly, the printed text has been presented on the page in such a way that it represents a shark progressively moving towards the reader throughout the book.

      The narrative point of view in a piece of experimental fiction may be constantly changing, with stories being told from the perspectives of different characters.


      Additionally, the narrative style may be in the form of letters, flashbacks, scientific reports, memoirs, streams of consciousness, etc.


      A recent experimental crime fiction novel called His Bloody Project (2015) presents the murder mystery of a triple homicide through witness statements, testimonies written by the accused, medical reports and newspaper accounts covering the murder trial. But guess what - all of these seemingly non-fictional narrative modes are actually expertly fabricated by the writer Graeme Macrae Burnet.

      Traditional realist works are escapist, that is, they aim for the reader to get lost in the story. However, experimental fiction, by playing around with form, structure, style, language and syntax, beg the reader to constantly engage with the form or the writing style rather than the subject matter. Readers are always kept hyper-aware of the ways in which the words are presented on the page, the meanings ascribed to them and the structuring of the overall story.

      Since experimental writers constantly keep readers on their toes, their works may be harder to read. They are intellectually challenging as they constantly clash with the readers' expectations, making them incomprehensible, frustrating and unsettling.


      Experimental Fiction Examples

      There are rare examples of popular experimental fiction that are commercial successes, as this genre is more focused on finding innovations within literature rather than being enjoyed and understood by a wide readership. However, here are a few interesting examples of short stories and novels that fall under the genre of experimental fiction.

      Experimental fiction short stories

      Short stories within the experimental fiction genre can sometimes be confusing and dizzying due to the lack of time given to the reader to adjust to new, unexpected forms of storytelling. However, due to their digestible lengths, most readers are more forgiving and open-minded when it comes to short stories that are experimental in form and content.

      'Happy Endings' (1983)

      This short story by Margaret Atwood is broken down into six short sections labelled A through F. Each section details the romantic relationship between John and Mary. Within each section, the beginning of their love story is drastically different. The readers are forced to engage with the story, sort of as though they are in a game with multiple choices as options. However, soon the reader realises that no matter which alphabet they choose, each scenario ends with the death of John and Mary. Sometimes these are happy endings where the couple marries and dies together, whereas others are seemingly not as pleasant.


      Through this narration, Atwood is repeating the same exact point - no matter how relationships go, they eventually end up with us dying, either happy with our partner or under other circumstances.

      'Fable' (2016)

      In his short story, Charles Yu presents our main character sitting in his therapist's office. He is narrating several fables, introducing characters living in a medieval time, a time of magic, curses, and swords. With each fable, the narration becomes more intimate and revealing. Through the course of the narration, the readers begin to realise that the fables contain references to events in the protagonist's own real life. There are parallels between the fictional stories the protagonist is narrating and his own life. He is just telling his story through the fictional fables of his characters in an attempt to perhaps avoid opening up to his therapist. With each fable, we begin to understand our protagonist more and see through his problems.

      Experimental fiction novels

      Now it's time to look at longer examples of experimental fiction by writers who are more daring and creative.

      The Unfortunates (1969)

      English author B. S. Johnson published the story of a sportswriter who is sent to a city on an assignment, where he is haunted by the memories of a friend who has died of cancer.


      The interesting aspect of the story is that it consists of 27 unbound chapters, which can be read in any order by the reader - giving the possibility of 15.5 septillion possible combinations. This structural technique of storytelling mirrors the way memories work in our minds.

      House of Leaves (2000)

      This horror story by Mark Z. Danielewski is about a family who moves into a house that seems bigger on the inside than on the outside. That sounds like any other haunted house story, right?


      However, this is not a typical haunted house story. This story has been written from the point of view of multiple narrators. Each narrator is an occupant of the house who is attempting to investigate the story of the death of the previous occupant. However, as soon as one narrator dies, the investigation becomes the obsession of the house's next occupant. The story is presented in the form of an academic record of research reports, interviews, videos and notes written by each of the occupants (or narrators) of the house who are compiling the observations made by the previous occupants.


      The word 'house' is printed in blue ink every time it appears. As soon as the narrative voice changes, so do the fonts in which the story is written. The layout of the words on the pages almost forms a sort of labyrinth, sometimes written upside down or backwards and in need of deciphering.


      Experimental Fiction - Key takeaways

      • Experimental fiction is a genre of literary work wherein writers focus on using innovative storytelling techniques that defy literary norms and conventions.
      • Experimentalist writers use this genre to push the creative boundaries of traditional storytelling techniques and explore new ways of telling new stories.
      • Works of experimental fiction can only be considered 'experimental' for the time and place that they are produced in and are, therefore, a product of their contexts.
      • Experimental fiction seeks to challenge the following conventions
        • Character and setting
        • Genre tropes
        • Linear storylines
        • Fiction vs non-fictional narratives
        • Form
        • Language, syntax and wordplay
        • Format
        • Narrative devices
        • Escapism
        • Comprehensibility
      • Some famous examples of experimental fiction include:
        • 'Happy Endings' (1983) by Margaret Atwood
        • 'Fable' (2016) by Charles Yu

        • The Unfortunates (1969) by B. S. Johnson

        • House of Leaves (2000) by Mark Z. Danielewski



      References

      1. Julie Armstrong. Experimental Fiction. 2014.
      2. Fig. 1 - The Convergence of Two Narrative Lines Ascending - Page 1 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Convergence_of_Two_Narrative_LInes_Ascending_-_Page_1.jpg) by David Detrich is licensed by Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
      3. Fig. 2 - Public Domain: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frankenstein.1831.inside-cover.jpg
      Frequently Asked Questions about Experimental Fiction

      What is experimental fiction?

      Experimental fiction is a genre of literary work wherein writers focus on using innovative storytelling techniques that defy literary norms and conventions.

      How to write experimental fiction?

      Writing experimental fiction begins with unlearning all the rules and expectations we know about traditional realist fiction, such as linear storylines, coherent characters, genre tropes, organised formats, proper language, syntax and punctuation etc. These are then changed or challenged to build new storytelling techniques. 

      What is the purpose of experimental fiction?

      The purpose of experimental fiction is to 

      push past the boundaries of existing traditional storytelling techniques and explore new ways of telling new stories. Some experimental writers also aim to pave the way for groundbreaking forms, techniques and genres.

      What are some examples of experimental fiction?

      Some examples of experimental fiction include 'Happy Endings' (1983) by Margaret Atwood, 'Fable’ (2016) by Charles Yu, The Unfortunates (1969) by  B. S. Johnson, and House of Leaves (2000) by Mark Z. Danielewski.

      What does experimentation mean in literature?

      Experimentation in literature means deviating from the conventional expectations of traditional mainstream literary works to produce works that are innovative, bizarre, controversial or sometimes even incomprehensible.

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      Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

      Which of the following options is NOT an example of an experimental novel? 

      Can a piece of experimental writing be written without any main characters? Yes or no?

      Experimental fiction is mostly written in chronological sequencing of events. True or False?

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