metanarrative

The term is a modern philosophical and critical construction, first gaining prominence in the late 20th century. It is formed by combining the Greek prefix "meta-" (implying a higher level of abstraction or self-reference) with the Latin-derived word "narrative." Literally, it means "a narrative about narratives." The concept critiques grand, totalizing stories (like those of progress, enlightenment, or religion) that claim to universally explain human experience. Thus, the word's logic moves from the concrete idea of "telling a story" to the abstract act of analyzing the framework and authority of storytelling itself.

Structure: meta (beyond/transcending) + narrative (story) - meta: A prefix of Greek origin (μετά, meaning "after, beyond, with"). In modern English word formation, it denotes a concept that is about itself or transcends its original category. - narrative: From Latin narrativus ("telling a story"), from narrare ("to tell"). It functions as the base noun meaning a spoken or written account of connected events.