Works of fiction are replete with literary figures and other items intended for enrich the narrative. One of the resources that we like the most as spectators is the famous breaking the fourth wall. Whether you're not sure what it means or if you want to learn a little about its origins, today we will tell you everything you need to know about this fantastic concept.
What is the fourth wall and where does it come from?
The fourth wall is a term invented by the film and theater director Andre Antoine. The French was inspired by the Discourse on dramatic poetry by Denis Diderot. As early as 1758, Diderot had formulated his principle of the fourth wall. For the writer and philosopher, there had to be an invisible wall, a virtual wall that had to separate the actors from the spectators: «Imagine just at the edge of the theater a great wall that separates you from the stage: interpret as if the canvas did not lift.» Obviously, the other three remaining walls were the sides and the bottom of the theater stage.
Years later, this concept was assimilated by many playwrights. It was just some kind of method to get the most out of the actors. Stendhal (Henri Beyle) gave the concept a little more depth in the XNUMXth century. A few years later, this fourth wall illusion underwent a revolution when it was applied to theatrical realism. Konstantin Stanislavski applied it in The cherry garden of Chekhov. It can be said that the fourth wall was also the germ of the controversial «Stanislavski Method», although without a doubt, that topic would be for another article.
What then is breaking the fourth wall?
If the theatre, the cinema, a series or a video game fictitiously have an invisible glass or cloth in which those inside do not see us, breaking the fourth wall is nothing more than turning the situation around. Interrupt the viewer and make an incision to completely destroy that illusion.
As a general rule, breaking the fourth wall is a pretty creative way of doing humor. Quite simply, because it is a resource that you rarely expect. The figure is used moderately in movies and television series. However, where it is most often used is in role-playing video games (RPGs), theater and comics. In the video that we have attached, the example is shown very well in Shin Megami Tensei V. A few minutes into the game, after trying to recruit a character, we can convince him to join our ranks simply by telling him that we are the protagonist of the game.
Deadpool, She Hulk and other cases of breaking the fourth wall
This resource is usually used in a very specific way, but there are works that abuse this concept to generate humor by repetition. Dead Pool is probably the book example. The antihero movies they are full of moments in which Ryan Reynolds addresses the audience directly, which was already the case in the comics.
However, the subject of the fourth wall is being talked about a lot around the premiere of the series of she hulk. Apparently, Lawyer She-Hulk it will pull a lot of this resource. What not many people know is that, in the comics originals, this character also used this narrative trick quite a bit. Knowing that the green superheroine was born before the antihero, we can affirm that She Hulk already broke the fourth wall long before Deadpool would make it fashionable.