Fictions of Infinity

This study traces the connection of infinity and Levinasian ethics in 21st-century fiction. It tackles the paradox of how infinity can be (re-)presented in the finite space between the covers of a book and finds an answer that combines conceptual metaphor theory with concepts from classical narratology and beyond, such as mise en abyme, textual circularity, intertextuality or omniscient narration. It argues that texts with such structures may be conceptualised as infinite via Lakoff and Nezs Basic Metaphor of Infinity. The catachrestic transfer of infinity from structure to text means that the texts themselves are understood to be infinite. Taking its cue from the central role of the infinite in Emmanuel Levinass ethics, the function of such fictions of infinity turns out to be ethical: infinite textuality disrupts reading patterns and calls into question the readers spontaneity to interpret. This hypothesis is put to the test in detailed readings of four 21st-century novels, David Mitchells Cloud Atlas, Jeanette Wintersons The Stone Gods, Ian McEwans Saturday and John Banvilles The Infinities. This book thus combines ethical criticism with structural aesthetics to uncover ethical potential in fiction.