Fourth Wall The fourth wall is the imaginary wall at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. The idea of the fourth wall was made explicit by philosopher and critic Denis Diderot and spread in 19th-century theatre with the advent of theatrical realism, which extended the idea to the imaginary boundary between any fictional work and its audience. Breaking the Fourth Wall Speaking directly to, otherwise acknowledging or doing something to the audience through a camera in a film or television program, or through this imaginary wall in a play, is referred to as breaking the fourth wall and is considered a technique of metafiction, as it penetrates the boundaries normally set up by works of fiction. This can also occur in literature and video games when a character acknowledges the reader or player. The fourth wall should not be confused with the aside or the soliloquy, dramatic devices often used by playwrights where the character on stage is delivering an inner monologue, giving the audience insight into their thoughts.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 04:48:18 +0000
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