is it a device, a conceit, or what?

[lucia2]

Hi:
I have a question about how to describe a novel I am reading. The novel is translated from Spanish. It is Teresa de la Parra, Memorias de Mamá Blanca. In the beginning, the author claims that she is the "editor" of a document given to her by a childhood friend. This is simply part of the novel, which is a fictionalized account of the author's own childhood.

What do you call this claim by the author to be "editing" a "true" account. It is a device?

Thanks.

[Virgil]

I would call that's a device. A conceit is a metaphor, and that doesn't sound like a metaphor to me.

[JBI]

Conceit is more than a metaphor. This is a device, almost bordering on a meta-device, and is quite common in late modern and post-modern literature.

[Virgil]

Conceit is more than a metaphor. This is a device, almost bordering on a meta-device, and is quite common in late modern and post-modern literature.

Could you please elaborate on why a conceit is more than a metaphor? I'm curious. This is from Webster's dictionary:
conceit

Main Entry: 1con·ceit
Pronunciation: \kən-ˈsēt\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from conceivre
Date: 14th century
1 a (1): a result of mental activity : thought (2): individual opinion b: favorable opinion; especially : excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue
2: a fancy item or trifle
3 a: a fanciful idea b: an elaborate or strained metaphor c: use or presence of such conceits in poetry d: an organizing theme or concept <found his conceit for the film early — Peter Wilkinson>

[Il Penseroso]

"b: an elaborate or strained metaphor"

I think this explains best why a conceit is "more" than a metaphor. It's a metaphor that has been extrapolated to become a theme in itself, rather than simply contributing to a theme. At least that's my understanding of a conceit.


To the OP: This sounds like a structural device to me. The term "meta-device" used by JBI seems like an accurate description, as it creates a greater context to the work other than the story itself, causing greater understanding and contextualization.

[lucia2]

Thanks for your help. I have heard people say, "the conceit is that . . . " but I assume that they are not using the term in its academic context.