Ernest Hemingway once remarked that a literary work is like an iceberg: only one-seventh of the story is on the surface, and everything else is hidden between the lines. And in order for the reader to be able to see what is not there, the author has to “hint” at an event or situation. Such allusions are called "subtexts" - this is another ingenious trick in the vast arsenal of writer's "things". In this article, we will try to briefly analyze the topic called "Subtext is …".
When did it appear and where did it take root?
For the first time, the concept of subtext entered literature at the beginning of the 19th century. This technique was originally characteristic of psychological prose or poetry of symbolism and post-symbolism. Somewhat later, it began to be used even in journalism.
In the literature, the concept of "subtext" was first conceptualized by Hemingway. His philosophical definition of the term was as follows: subtext is a hidden part of the work, where the main points of the story are located, which the reader must find on their own.
Bestsubtext has taken root in Japan, where understatement or hint is a special artistic measure that can often be found not only in works of literature, but also in other areas of art. After all, the religion and mentality of the Land of the Rising Sun are focused on seeing the invisible behind the visible.
What is subtext?
As is already clear from the above: subtext in literature is an artistic allusion. A special kind of information that reveals to the reader another side of the story. To understand it means to find what the author has kept silent about. Revealing the subtext, the reader seems to become a co-author, imagining, thinking and imagining.
Subtext is a riddle, as if the consumer was asked to guess the picture by showing only a few strokes. Directing the reader's imagination, the author makes him worry, rejoice or be sad.
Subtext is what is hidden "under the text". The text itself is just a collection of letters and a handful of punctuation marks. They don't mean anything, they're so simple, but there's something else behind them. In the white spaces between the lines, the experiences of the protagonist or the beauty of another world glimpse.
Examples with explanations
Subtext is phrases that make the reader imagine what is happening, represent the experiences of the protagonist. It can be found in every work of fiction. To better understand the essence of the subtext, it is worth giving a few phrases and a “subtext” transcript.
Subtext in literature is (examples):
- A. Akhmatova: "I put on the right hand, the Glove from the left hand." After these lines, the reader understands that the main character is in suspense. Her actions are scattered due to her feelings.
- L. Tolstoy: "Ahead, the whistle of a locomotive roared deplorably and gloomily (…) the horror of a snowstorm has become beautiful now." It is as if the reader himself is experiencing the state of mind of Anna Karenina before her death: a terrible snowstorm becomes beautiful because of the fear of an approaching, "deplorable and gloomy" death.
- A. Chekhov: "A silent, obedient, incomprehensible creature, impersonal in its obedience, spineless, weak from excessive kindness, quietly suffered on the sofa and did not complain." With these words, the author tried to show the weakness of the hero (Dymov), who was dying.
Subtext can be found everywhere: it is present in literature, and in conversations, and in drama. Understatement and hidden meaning is another way of conveying information that makes the main subject of discussion more real and intimate.
