Afound manuscript (also,discovered manuscript[1],imaginary manuscript,[2]pseudobiblia[3][4]) refers to aliterary trope in which a work of literature makes a reference to another work, claimed to exist but in fact being fictitious, and which usually is an important plot element; or claims to be such a work; or claims to be based on it.[1][5][6][2]
According toL. Sprague de Camp, the earliest known example of afictional book would be theBook of Thoth, an alleged holy or magical text from the era ofAncient Egypt, mentioned in a tale from that period ("Setne Khamwas and Si-Osire").[3] An early example of the found manuscript trope in themodern era isMiguel de Cervantes'sDon Quixote (1605–15), as Cervantes claimed in the book that it was significantly translated from an Arabic text by the nonexistentMoorish historianCide Hamete Benengeli.[2] Subsequently, the trope has been described as particularly common inScottish poetry[5] andGothic fiction.[1] In the former, it has been popularized byJames Macpherson, and hisOssian poems (a series that debuted in 1761), which he claimed were based on his translation of purported "ancient poetry" in his possession.[5] In the latter, for example,Horace Walpole's 1764 novelThe Castle of Otranto, which also established Gothic fiction as agenre, purported to be a translation of an older Italian manuscript from the era of theCrusades.[1] The process has spread to many other regions and genres, such asearly American literature – for example, the claim that the story is based on allegedly existing documents inherited by the author was present in the anonymousThe Female American (1767), whileNathaniel Hawthorne claimed that at least two of his works (The Scarlet Letter [1850], andThe House of the Seven Gables [1851]) were based on manuscripts he found in various places.[2] Another example, in the French language, is the 18th-century novelThe Manuscript Found in Saragossa.
In the 20th century, references to a large body of fictional literary works (most famously, theNecronomicon) formed a major part of theCthulhu Mythosshared universe, begun byH. P. Lovecraft.[4]
The trope has been adapted to modern media and is known asfound footage, popularized by the 1999 horror film andmockumentaryThe Blair Witch Project, and video games (such as 2015Her Story or 2017Resident Evil 7: Biohazard).[1]
The trope has been described as one of the tools ofmetafiction.[1][7] It has been used due to public's growing interest in real history, including in rediscovering works of ancient or popular authorsthought to be lost or unknown.[2] It is used by the authors to produce asense of wonder (finding such a work can be a major plot point in a number of works) and a sense that they have discovered a rare, unique treasure.[2] It is also used to blur the boundary between fiction and reality and enhance the narrative credibility,portraying fictional events as real and distancing the authorship of the text from the original author.[1][2] The technique of extensive referencing of fictional works has also been discussed in the context of "promotinga literary tradition (of hoaxes) while also parodying the academic methodology through which such traditions are consolidated".[4]
While often associated with fiction, the trope is also used in purported works of non-fiction, such asWashington Irving'sA History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty (1809). In addition to fiction, the trope has been found in historical chronicles, personal letters, periodical excerpts, and devotional works, among others.[2]
While some works portray themselves in their entirety as based on allegedly real source texts, in others, references to found manuscripts are a major plot point or a passing element of a narrative.[1][2][7] Some related works are structured around real stories or narrative plots of manuscripts that went missing (this has been described as a trope of "lost manuscript").[8]: 146–147 Related is also the tradition ofpseudepigrapha (a literary use of false attribution, leading to concepts such asPseudo-Aristotle and similar).[3]
The trope has been occasionally criticized when the purported new work has been of a recently deceased author, publishedposthumously; in which case it is more likely to be seen as a fraudulent or disrespectful activity.[2]