suspension of disbelief Quick reference
A Dictionary of Media and Communication (3 ed.)
... of disbelief The concept that to become emotionally involved in a narrative , audiences must react as if the characters are real and the events are happening now, even though they know it is ‘only a story’. ‘The willing suspension of disbelief for the moment’ was how Coleridge phrased it in 1817, with reference to the audiences for literary works. Schramm argues that this is a general expectation for all entertainment ( see also entertainment function ): we are ‘prepared to go along with a story or a spoof or a good joke, to identify and...
suspension of disbelief
indirect address
representational code
presence
entertainment function
negative capability
Valéry, Violetta
illusionism Quick reference
A Dictionary of Media and Communication (3 ed.)
... that is designed to background or render transparent the techniques of an artwork’s production , and is intended to lead the audience to ‘suspend disbelief’ ( see suspension of disbelief ) and to experience it as a slice of life or a window on the world: compare reflexivity . 2. The skilful use of artistic techniques designed to deceive the viewer into thinking that a painting is part of a real scene : for example, trompe-l’œil rendering the colours and textures of a wall or ceiling in paint and extending its perspective lines so that...
indirect address Quick reference
A Dictionary of Media and Communication (3 ed.)
...of having an audience (as with the characters in most narratives ), or behave as if they were (as with actors in most drama ). In photographic and filmic media, those within the frame also behave as if there were no camera present (as in many documentaries ). The audience or reader is positioned in the role of a hidden voyeur ( see voyeurism ). This is the dominant mode of address in narratives in any medium. It serves to suggest the unconstructedness of the narrative when the audience is willing to ‘suspend disbelief’ ( see suspension of...
alienation effect Quick reference
A Dictionary of Media and Communication (3 ed.)
...For example, an actor may suddenly break character and speak directly to the audience. Brecht believed it is important for audiences to maintain a sense of critical distance and not to get swept up in the drama. This runs counter to the goal of audience involvement in the classic realist text . See also high and low involvement ; compare aesthetic distance ; defamiliarization ; suspension of disbelief . http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/alienation-effect/ Alienation effect ...
subjunctivity n Reference library
The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction
...in Extrapolation62 Fantasy takes the subjunctivity of naturalistic fiction and throws it in reverse […]: Could not have happened . 1973 J. Russ Subjunctivity of SF Extrapolation (Dec.) 56 One does not suspend one's disbelief in reading science fiction—the suspension of disbelief […] fluctuates constantly. That is, the relation with actuality—what Delany would call the subjunctivity of the story—fluctuates constantly. 1995 B. Landon SF after 1900 (2002) 9 It is the notion of subjunctivity that best accounts for the relationship in SF between known...
presence Quick reference
A Dictionary of Media and Communication (3 ed.)
...; social presence . 5. In mediated experiences such as virtual worlds , a phenomenal experience of ‘being there’ in which, for a user who is highly involved, the medium or technology retreats to transparency and the experience feels (on some level) unmediated, akin to face-to-face interaction . It tends to be associated with relatively experienced users of the medium. See also parasocial interaction ; presence studies ; suspension of disbelief ; telepresence ; virtual presence . ...
representational codes ((semiotics)) Quick reference
A Dictionary of Media and Communication (3 ed.)
... of form , style , and content for texts or genres in any medium . These are drawn upon in both production and interpretation (for instance, guiding expectations ). Texts employing representational codes which are perceived as ‘realistic’ (especially in film and television ) can be experienced as if they were recordings or direct reproductions of reality rather than as representations in the form of codes : this is partly a function of the familiarity of such codes ( see also constructedness ; magic window ; realism ; suspension of...
entertainment function Quick reference
A Dictionary of Media and Communication (3 ed.)
..., personal identity , and social utility ( see also uses and gratifications ). One of the objectives of the mass media is to entertain, while the related objectives of the individual include enjoyment, relaxation ( see also catharsis ), and escape. Unlike other functions, Schramm notes, entertainment requires a certain ‘willing suspension of disbelief’. For the Frankfurt school , this is akin to political passivity, and Adorno argues that the real function of mass-media entertainment is to subdue the working class ( see also narcotization , ...
negative capability Reference library
The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed.)
... to describe his conception of the receptivity necessary to the process of poetic creativity, which draws on S. T. Coleridge 's formulation of ‘Negative Belief’ or ‘willing suspension of disbelief’. In a letter to Benjamin Bailey ( 1791–1853 ; 22 Nov. 1817 ) Keats wrote, ‘If a Sparrow come before my Window I take part in its existence and pick about the Gravel’, and a month later ( 22 Dec. 1817 ) he wrote to his brothers George and Thomas defining his new concept: ‘ Negative Capability , that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties,...
negative capability Quick reference
The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (4 ed.)
... to describe his conception of the receptivity necessary to the process of poetic creativity, which draws on S. T. Coleridge 's formulation of ‘Negative Belief’ or ‘willing suspension of disbelief’. In a letter to Benjamin Bailey ( 1791–1853 ; 22 Nov. 1817 ) Keats wrote, ‘If a Sparrow come before my Window I take part in its existence and pick about the Gravel’, and a month later ( 22 Dec. 1817 ) he wrote to his brothers George and Thomas defining his new concept: ‘ Negative Capability , that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties,...
Berliner Ensemble Reference library
The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre (2 ed.)
...Germany and world-wide acclaim with its productions of Brecht's plays, directed by himself and after his death, when his widow took over, by Palitzsch , Besson , and others. By 1974 , its 25th anniversary, the company had staged a total of 54 productions and developed a very personal style of acting and presentation designed to prevent the suspension of disbelief and encourage in the audience, as was Brecht's desire, a critical appraisal of the play. To avoid the danger, apparent since the mid-1960s, of turning itself into a Brecht museum, the company has...
Brown, Carter (1923–1985) Reference library
The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing
...Baker, Danny Boyd, Paul Donavan, Andy Kane, Randy Roberts, Al Wheeler) who during the course of their investigations invariably bedded gorgeous and improbably voluptuous young women. Yates's female series character is Mavis Seidlitz, whose body is as shapely as Mamie van Doren's and whose wit recalls that of Gracie Allen. In all novels, Yates's characters are subordinate to the plots, which in themselves require considerable suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader. In the early 1970s, Yates's work became known for explicit sexual descriptions....
Avery, Tex Reference library
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
...sensibility, Avery's work boasts ridiculous sequences that nonetheless prompt suspension of disbelief as anvils, pianos, and battleships fall from the sky onto a dog's head (“Bad Luck Blackie,” 1949 ). In “Red Hot Riding Hood” ( 1943 ), stock characters interrupt the voice-over to decry a boring traditional narrative and demand a jazz age reimagining that allows the girl, the wolf, and the grandmother overt expression of their sexuality. This meta-cartooning is a hallmark of his work: characters range beyond the cell's edges or the animator's control, as...
