A facet of literary narrative:
The method of listing events, actions and/or feelings of character's in the course of literary narrative, mainly prose.
Diegesis is entirely commentated by the narrator and does not include any character dialogue.
1. "A twisted piece of
paper lay half burned upon the hearthrug; he picked it up, and unfolded it, in order to get a better pipe-light by folding it the other way of the
paper. As he did so, absently glancing at the pencilled writing upon the fragment of thin
paper, a portion of a
name caught his eye--a portion of the
name that was most in his thoughts. He took the
scrap of paper to the window, and examined it by the declining light."
- Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret
2. "I know that the tune I am piping is a very mild
one (although there are some terrific chapters coming presently), and must beg the good-natured reader to remember that we are only discoursing at present about a stockbroker's family in Russell
Square, who are taking walks, or luncheon, or dinner, or talking and making
love as people do in common life, and without a single passionate and wonderful incident to mark the progress of their loves."
- W.M. Thackeray, Vanity Fair
The diegesis Braddon uses in 'Lady Audley's Secret' consumes the reader into the
world of her character. The seductively detailed course of events of a single moment transports us straight onto the
scene - we can almost feel the warmth of the fire. On the other hand, Thackeray in 'Vanity Fair', uses diegesis to give us an overall glimpse of the events of the
story which is to come.
