Oedipus is about the act of figuring out what Oedipus is about
12 days ago
- #meta-narrative
- #whodunnit
- #Oedipus Rex
- Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is a 2,500-year-old tragedy where Oedipus unknowingly fulfills a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother.
- The play is structured as a whodunnit, with Oedipus acting as a detective to uncover the murderer of the former king, only to find out it was himself.
- Similar narratives where the detective discovers they are the culprit include 'Fight Club' (1999), 'Angel Heart' (1987), and possibly 'Memento' (2000).
- The author suggests that all creative works are fundamentally about the act of creation, a concept termed the 'Narcissist Creator Razor'.
- Oedipus Rex exemplifies this idea, showing that the search for meaning in a story ultimately reflects the act of searching itself.