Self-insertion is a literary device in which the real author of a work of fiction appears as a character within that fiction, either overtly or in disguise.

Making a 'self-insert' a major character is generally viewed as vanity on the author's part; most successful self-inserts have been minor characters, often used as a form of self-deprecation.

Some characters have been described as unintentional self-inserts, implying that their author is unconsciously using them as an author surrogate. This is particularly common in Mary Sue fanfiction.

Examples of self-insertion

• Agatha Christie's Ariadne Oliver
• One of two Philip José Farmer characters named Peter Jairus Frigate
• In the anime Excel Saga, Rikudo Koshi and Watanabe Shinichi appear as characters
• In many webcomics (e.g. the sprite comic Bob and George, Irregular Webcomic!, and many others), the author appears as a character.
• Stephen King inserts himself into his Dark Tower series, starting at book five.
• Osamu Tezuka is seen in a few of his mangas as a secondary character.

See also

Self-reference

Narratology