The Fourth Wall and You
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 83352
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The Fourth Wall and You The term fourth wall is derived from the theater, where by convention a scene that takes place in a standard room has an invisible fourth wall. The audience can see in, but the characters on stage cannot see back out. They live in a self-contained world. The members of the audience are voyeurs, but not participants, in their world. The "breaking" of the fourth wall, then, is a contrivance where an actor or actress in the play addresses the audience in some way, violating the separation of the imaginary world portrayed on the stage with the real one of the audience. The phrase the "breaking of the fourth wall" has been extended to the realms of film and literature. "Breaking the fourth wall" should be done carefully. Resorting to such a convention is often a sign of immaturity and slipshod writing. One writer who is notorious for overuse of this empty technique is Lots42. "At least I am not a pompous windbag, you little jerk," said Lots42. This is one such example of an ineffectual breaking of the fourth wall. This example is little more than literary graffiti, contributing nothing to the advancement of the plot or characterization." "Nobody talks like that in real life. You need to spend less time in the library and more time at the bar," said Lots.
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Anableps
10/17/2008 3:14:23 PM
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