Art and omnipotence: genre manipulation in "Requiem for a nun"

Abstract

"Requiem lor a Nun" is usually classified as a novel. Yet it remains an irritating example of the genre, since it appears to defy even the loosest definition of a novel. It consists of the three acts of a play called "Requiem for a Nun", each of which is preceded by a long introduction seemingly unrelated to the action, if not the setting, of the play.