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what is the purpose of defamiliarization

by Eli Lebsack Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Defamiliarization or ostranenie (Russian: остранение, IPA: [ɐstrɐˈnʲenʲɪjə]) is the artistic technique of presenting to audiences common things in an unfamiliar or strange way so they could gain new perspectives and see the world differently.

Full Answer

Why do writers use defamiliarization?

Writers use this technique to help demonstrate the line between reality and their art. Although literary works are often praised for faithful reflections of real life, their authors still recognize them as pieces of art and use defamiliarization to remind their readers of that fact.

How important is defamiliarization in literature?

Defamiliarization is important because it allows writers and readers to deconstruct literature itself. It is an unusual technique that calls into question supposedly universal ideas about writing and reading.

What is the meaning of defamiliarization?

: to present or render in an unfamiliar artistic form usually to stimulate fresh perception.

What does Defamiliarize mean to formalist?

The Russian Formalists' concept of “Defamiliarization”, proposed by Viktor Shklovsky in his Art as Technique, refers to the literary device whereby language is used in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look different.

What is the effect of defamiliarization?

Shklovsky dubbed it the Defamiliarization Effect, and the gist of it is this: if you let something strange happen in a specific paragraph, it puts the whole chapter in a different light.

How important is defamiliarization in creating a fiction story?

Defamiliarization is a literary technique that focuses on the writing process more than on the plot. The key feature of defamiliarization is assessing the distinctness between reality and literature. Authors use this technique to identify their writings as works of art.

What is defamiliarization in creative writing?

Defamiliarization, as defined by Shklovsky (1916), is a literary technique of making the familiar seem unfamiliar. Since after time we tend to become somewhat desensitised to our surroundings and language, describing things clearly through written language can be problematic.

What is the opposite of defamiliarization?

understanding the process of immersion as opposite to the process of defamiliarization. oversimplifies matters.

How is defamiliarization used in film?

In this tradition defamiliarization is used to analyze and emphasize film form, while omitting and ignoring the semantics (theme, story, plot development,…) of the filmic text.

Why is defamiliarization considered as an untraditional way of analyzing literature?

The purpose of defamiliarization is to cause the readers to question their perception of reality and, as a result, ultimately redefine it. In a way, defamiliarization in literature is a destabilizing process.

What is the purpose of formalism?

Formalism is a school of literary criticism and literary theory having mainly to do with structural purposes of a particular text. It is the study of a text without taking into account any outside influence.

Whose idea is defamiliarization or estrangement as the main principle of artistry in literature?

Also known as defamiliarization or disautomatization, estrangement originated as a form of literary and poetic theory within Russian formalism in 1917 and was elaborated largely through the work of Viktor Borisovich Shklovsky.

Why is literary critism important?

Researching, reading, and writing works of literary criticism will help you to make better sense of the work, form judgments about literature, study ideas from different points of view, and determine on an individual level whether a literary work is worth reading.

Why formalism is important in literature?

Formalism in literary studies was not merely about formal elements of literature, though it stressed the importance of studying form. In fact, it proclaimed the unity of form and content by emphasizing that in a literary work the former cannot properly be understood when separated from the latter and vice versa.

Who made us familiar with the concept of defamiliarization?

The word defamiliarization was coined by the early 20th-century Russian literary critic Viktor Shklovsky in his essay "Art as Technique." He argued that defamiliarization is, more or less, the point of all art.

Why is creativity important in literature?

Thus, the importance of creative writing lies in its ability to describe the world through an honest and unfiltered lens. Anyone who engages in creative writing, no matter the genre or style, helps us explore the human experience, share new ideas, and advocate for a better society.

What is an example of defamiliarization?

An example of defamiliarization is the scene in War and Peace where Natasha goes to the opera. The description of the opera makes something that...

Who introduced the concept of defamiliarization?

Russian and Soviet theorist Viktor Shklovsky was the first to describe literary defamiliarization. He wrote primarily about instances of defamiliar...

How is defamiliarization used in literature?

There are several ways writers can use defamiliarization in literature. Stream of consciousness and reflexive novels are two relatively common opti...

Why is defamiliarization important in literature?

Defamiliarization is important because it allows writers and readers to deconstruct literature itself. It is an unusual technique that calls into q...

What does "defamiliarize" mean?

Since the term différance refers to the dual meanings of the French word difference to mean both "to differ" and "to defer", defamiliarization draws attention to the use of common language in such a way as to alter one's perception of an easily understandable object or concept. The use of defamiliarization both differs and defers, since the use of the technique alters one's perception of a concept (to defer), and forces one to think about the concept in different, often more complex, terms (to differ).

Who coined the term "defamiliarization"?

The term "defamiliarization" was first coined in 1917 by Russian formalist Viktor Shklovsky in his essay "Art as Device" (alternate translation: "Art as Technique"). Shklovsky invented the term as a means to "distinguish poetic from practical language on the basis of the former's perceptibility.":209 . Essentially, he is stating that poetic ...

How did Russian formalism influence art?

The influence of Russian Formalism on twentieth-century art and culture is largely due to the literary technique of defamiliarization or 'making strange', and has also been linked to Freud's notion of the uncanny. In Das Unheimliche ("The Uncanny"), Freud states that "the uncanny is that class of the frightening which leads back to what is known of old and long familiar," however, this is not a fear of the unknown, but more of a feeling about something being both strange and familiar. : 220 The connection between ostranenie and the uncanny can be seen where Freud muses on the technique of literary uncanniness: "It is true that the writer creates a kind of uncertainty in us in the beginning by not letting us know, no doubt purposely, whether he is taking us into the real world or into a purely fantastic one of his own creation." : 230 When "the writer pretends to move in the world of common reality," they can situate supernatural events, such as the animation of inanimate objects, in the quotidian, day-to-day reality of the modern world, defamiliarizing the reader and provoking an uncanny feeling. : 250

Who defines defamiliarization as "the formal-rhetorical act of making the familiar strange"?

Science fiction critic Simon Spiegel , who defines defamiliarization as "the formal-rhetorical act of making the familiar strange (in Shklovsky's sense)," distinguished it from Brecht's estrangement effect.

Who said "Defamiliarization of that which is or has become familiar or taken for granted, hence automatically perceived?

The writer shakes up the familiar scene, and as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it. According to literary theorist Uri Margolin : Defamiliarization of that which is or has become familiar or taken for granted, hence automatically perceived, is the basic function of all devices.

Is a narrative plot defamiliarized?

Narrative plots can also be defamiliarized. The Russian formalists distinguished between the fabula or basic story stuff of a narrative and the syuzhet or the formation of the story stuff into a concrete plot. For Shklovsky, the syuzhet is the fabula defamiliarized.

Who advocated defamiliarization?

Although the concept of defamiliarization was earlier advocated by the Romantic critic Coleridge in his Biographia Literaria (1817), it was conceived in terms of subject matter and in novelty of expression.

What are formalists' literary devices?

The formalists, however, endorse defamiliarization effected by novelty in the usage of formal linguistic devices in poetry, such as rhyme, metre, metaphor, image and symbol. Thus literary language is ordinary language deformed and made strange.

What is the literary device whereby language is used in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look?

Defamiliarization. The Russian Formalists’ concept of “Defamiliarization”, proposed by Viktor Shklovsky in his Art as Technique, refers to the literary device whereby language is used in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look different.

What is the alienation effect?

A similar technique deployed in drama was “alienation effect” introduced by Bertolt Brecht in his Epic Theatre, to disrupt the passive complacency of the audience and force them into a critical analysis of art as well as the world.

What does "defamiliarize" mean?

Since the term différance refers to the dual meanings of the French word difference to mean both “to differ” and “to defer,” defamiliarization draws attention to the use of common language in such a way as to alter one’s perception of an easily understandable object or concept. The use of defamiliarization both differs and defers, since the use of the technique alters one’s perception of a concept (to defer), and forces one to think about the concept in different, often more complex, terms (to differ).

What is the art of Defamiliarization?

Defamiliarization or ostranenie (остранение) is the artistic technique of forcing the audience to see common things in an unfamiliar or strange way, in order to enhance perception of the familiar.

Who coined the term "defamiliarization"?

The term “defamiliarization” was first coined in 1917 by Viktor Shklovsky (also spelled Shklovskij) in his essay " Art as Device " (alternate translation: “Art as Technique”) (Crawford 209). Shklovsky invented the term as a means to “distinguish poetic from practical language on the basis of the former’s perceptibility” (Crawford 209). Essentially, he is stating that poetic language is fundamentally different than the language that we use everyday because it is more difficult to understand: “Poetic speech is framed speech. Prose is ordinary speech – economical, easy, proper, the goddess of prose [dea prosae] is a goddess of the accurate, facile type, of the “direct” expression of a child” (Shklovsky 20). This difference is the key to the creation of art and the prevention of “over-automatization,” which causes an individual to “function as though by formula” (Shklovsky 16). This distinction between artistic language and everyday language, for Shklovsky, applies to all artistic forms:

Which organization took a leading role in defamilialization?

The OECD took a leading role in defamilialization. Mahon, writing for a Canadian daycare lobby group, explains that the OECD’ s Child Care Unit

How does defamilialism affect people?

Defamilialism has a trickle down effect, influencing how we value — or dis-value — mothers, parents, children, family, care work, choice, and love. Exposing and reversing this ideology is necessary to creating the conditions for human dignity for all.

Why was the welfare state created?

They have always done essential work for their families and communities. The welfare state was created to support unwaged family care work. Defamilialization erodes the system that ensures care for the vulnerable, especially children.

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