Hypodiegetic

Quick meaning: Hypodiegetic is an adjective meaning (narratology) Pertaining to a secondary narrative embedded within the primary narrative (a story within a story).

Meaning

(narratology) Pertaining to a secondary narrative embedded within the primary narrative (a story within a story).

Example Sentences

In Jane Eyre this hypodiegetic level is only attained four times again, first in chapter fifteen, in which Rochester tells Jane about his mistress Celine Varens, second in chapter twenty-seven [...]

Gretta's story, by contrast, has all the force of an authentic performance, a spontaneous speech-act that recreates its own referential validity. As such, it is the most coherent and integrated hypodiegetic act of narration in Dubliners.

Continuing this issue of depth: backgrounds are also used throughout some issues of Sandman, for example in Sandman #6 (“24 Hours”) where they provide mood, or Sandman #3 (“Dream a Little Dream of Me”) where a hypodiegetic dream story underlies the pages (see for example page 22), with the diegetic narrative sequence overlaid.

Synonyms for hypodiegetic

Depending on context, synonyms include metadiegetic.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include metadiegetic, intradiegetic, extradiegetic, second-order, intervenient, subtextual.

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