ABSTRACT
If meta-theatre and meta-fiction, born anew in recent decades, are among the products of Postmodernism at its most introspective, they have, however, provided ample opportunity for writers to explore the hinterlands of the genres in which they write and for critics to re-examine the traditional forms of literature and their limitations. The Aristotelian principle for separating the genres, based on the means of delivery rather than on the character of discourse, is as attractive a criterion as ever, with relatively sound foundations on which to establish a reasonable taxonomy. The romances narrated in Fuenteovejuna undoubtedly meet the very useful purpose of extending the scope of the play by permitting the inclusion in the story of events that, for all manner of reasons, could not be easily represented in performance.
