Course

Breaking the Frame: An Introduction to Metafiction

Stephanie Wells
Monday, Mar. 30, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (PT)
Repeats every Monday until Monday, May. 4, 2026
Price: $165.00
135 slots available
Join/Renew
Hands reaching out beyond the pageIn this course, we will examine the postmodern genre of literature known as metafiction.  As readers, we’re conditioned to expect an author to follow a certain set of conventions when we open a book.  What is the contract between the reader and the author, and what happens when that contract is broken, our readerly expectations violated? Whom can you trust if you can’t trust the author? In this class, we will explore the boundaries of narrative and examine texts with shifting perspectives, destabilized narrators, and contradictory plotlines.

Faculty Bio

Stephanie Wells has a B.A. from Berkeley, M.A. from University of Virginia, and Ph.D. from UC Davis, with a focus on modernism and postmodernism in American and British novels and poetry. She has been a literature professor for over 25 years, currently at College of Marin. She is the recipient of the 2025 OLLI @Berkeley Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award.

This is an In-Person + Livestreamed Course

  • Classes meet in person at the Golden Bear Center, Suite 365, at 1995 University Ave., Berkeley
  • Classes will also stream live simultaneously
  • Classes will not be video recorded
  • You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

  • Course starts on Monday, March 30, and ends on Monday, May 4
  • Classes meet for 6 weeks, two hours per session (1–3 PM)
  • All course materials will remain in Member Dashboards through March 29

Member Praise for Stephanie Wells 

Absolutely OUTSTANDING! I treasure every moment of this course. Thank you Stephanie Wells for teaching these courses and sharing your insights so freely and enthusiastically. I have learned so much in such a short time. 

An intelligent, stimulating instructor who is well versed in her subject. I would say the same for all of the courses I have taken from Stephanie Wells.

All the material selected was organized, presented and discussed thoughtfully and shared with great insight that expanded my appreciation, perspective of understanding. I found it so exciting and rewarding to both meet and revisit so many authors and explore the wide range of material, subjects and styles explored by these women.

Faculty Q&A