The Mind of the Novel

The novel, the self, and the knowable are all limited systems, all limited worlds; engaging one set of limits, the narrator (and author, and reader) implicitly engages the others. Although it is debatable whether the human self is created linguistically, it is certain that the textual self is, and it is compelling to consider the limits of self-awareness within a completely linguistic system.

The Mind of the Novel: Reflexive Fiction and the Ineffable, Bruce Kawin

1982