Dictionary

metadiegetic en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˌmɛt.ə.daɪ.ɪˈd͡ʒɛt.ɪk/

Etymology

From meta- + diegetic.

Meanings

1. Pertaining to a secondary narrative embedded within the primary narrative (a story within a story).
   • 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. 2005, Jennifer Van Sijll, “Sound Effects”, in Cinematic Storytelling, →ISBN, page 90:
   • 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. 1995, Michael Dunne, Hawthorne’s Narrative Strategies, page 87:
   • 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 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. 2004, Janet K. Halfyard, Danny Elfman's Batman: A Film Score Guide, page 108:

Forms

Synonyms

hypodiegetic

Translations (2)

fr métadiégétique (pertaining to a story within a story) · de metadiegetisch (pertaining to a story within a story)