Life A User's Manual - La Vie mode d'emploi - Georges Perec (1978) An example of postmodern fiction, though Perec himself preferred to avoid labels and his only long term affiliation with any movement was with the Oulipo or Ouvroir de Litterature Potentielle. It was written according to a complex plan of writing constraints, and is primarily constructed from several elements, each adding a layer of complexity.
Oulipo - seeks tocreate works using constrained writing techniques. 'The seeking of new structures and patterns which may be used by writers in any way they enjoy.' Onstraints are used as a means of triggering ideas and inspiration - Perecs 'story-making machine - used in the construction of Life A user's Manual - Such as lipograms and palindromes - the devised techniques often based on mathematical problems, such as the Knight's Tour of the chess-board and permutations.
