The Survival of the Author in Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth

Abstract:

Metanarrative techniques in Ian McEwan’s latest novel, Sweet Tooth, challenge our conception of literature by creating and destroying illusions of reality. The metanarrative subtly challenges Roland Barthes’ notion of “the death of the author” by offering an alternative—the death or dissolution of the subject—which permits the survival and persistence of the author as a distinct voice within the narrative. An idealized but ultimately untenable examination of the nature and purpose of fiction is presented. The novel radically reexamines the role of author, subject, and reader, culminating in an evolved and emergent vision of the author.