metadiegetic
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English
Etymology
Pronunciation
Adjective
metadiegetic (comparative more metadiegetic, superlative most metadiegetic)
- (narratology) Pertaining to a secondary narrative embedded within the primary narrative (a story within a story).
- 1995, Michael Dunne, Hawthorne’s Narrative Strategies, page 87:
- A particularly striking example appears in Hawthorne's next romance, The House of the Seven Gables, in which Chapter 13 consists entirely of a metadiegetic narrative entitled "Alice Pyncheon," composed and read by the diegetic character Holgrave.
- 2004, Janet K. Halfyard, Danny Elfman's Batman: A Film Score Guide, page 108:
- The diegetic and metadiegetic aspects of the Joker's use of music also persist. Prince's "Trust" features diegetically in the festival parade as the Joker rides on his birthday-cake float, while the Straussian waltz reappears metadiegetically in the in the cue "Waltz," for the battle between Batman and the Joker's henchman as the Joker waltzes with a semiconscious Vicki in the background. This, and his comment, "shall we dance?" to Batman just before the cue starts again positions this as music that the Joker has control cover: it is more than simply heard in his head.
- 2005, Jennifer Van Sijll, “Sound Effects”, in Cinematic Storytelling, →ISBN, page 90:
- Sound effects are often enlisted to externalize a characters' inner thoughts, nightmares, hallucinations, dreams, or wishes. We might hear, for example, the laughter of a child as a woman picks up a doll from childhood. This gives the scene a surreal feeling. This effect is often called meta-diegetic.
Usage notes
The secondary narrative can be a story told by a character within the main story or it can take the form of a dream, nightmare, hallucination, imaginary or other fantasy element.
Synonyms
Translations
pertaining to a story within a story
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