Here’s an idea I didn’t really consider when I read and reviewed The Eye of the World: that it’s a meta-fictional take on the fantasy genre.

Aidan Moher linked to my writeup on Reddit and let’s just say the reception wasn’t warm. That’s cool by me; I’m not all that concerned with having everyone agree with me. And while some of the reactions were dumb…

[It’s meta-fiction, which is] why you have in-world main characters (ta’veren,) an in-world mechanism that drives plot contrivances (the pattern,) and characters who are savvy enough to manipulate the inherent illogicality of their world (Mat abusing his luck, people being able to find Rand by his trail of improbable events). It’s a fantasy series that deals with the implications of living in a fantasy world, but does it subtly without being an outright parody. I’m tempted to say that after Terry Pratchett, Robert Jordan is probably the second most genre-savvy author in fantasy

Meta-fiction? Or is that being a savvy munchkin about the rules of your own setting? Or something else?

Obviously I haven’t read the whole series but I’m sure some of you have. What do you think? Comments on the blog are turned off due to spam, but you can reply by tweet, on Facebook, or join the conversations on LiveJournal.