Hard-to-Google Lit. Crit. Queries...

[steepholm]

Is there a general term for novels (or other fictions) that contain/mention themselves? I mean, the novel is called The Book of Glum, and it's about someone who turns out to be writing or reading a book called The Book of Glum, or we're at least given to know that this is a world where The Book of Glum already exists?

Also, is there decent existing discussion (in journals or elsewhere) of this phenomenon?

Comments

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

It is possibly a measure of my lack of intellectual street cred that the first example of this phenomenon that sprang to mind was Where's My Cow? by Terry Pratchett. :)

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I haven't actually read that one! My loss.