I. Defining Defamiliarization
- A. Core Concept: Making the Familiar Strange: Defamiliarization, a potent artistic technique, involves presenting familiar things in an unfamiliar way, forcing us to perceive them anew. It compels us to re-examine the quotidian and recognize its latent strangeness.
- B. Historical Origins: Viktor Shklovsky and Russian Formalism: The concept was coined by Viktor Shklovsky, a prominent figure in Russian Formalism, in the early 20th century. He termed it “ostranenie” (остранение), often translated as “estrangement” or “making strange.”
- C. Related Concepts: Estrangement, Ostranenie: “Estrangement” and “ostranenie” are often used interchangeably with defamiliarization, emphasizing the act of making something seem alien or unfamiliar.
II. The Mechanics of Defamiliarization
- A. Disrupting Automatic Perception: Defamiliarization disrupts our automatic, habitual modes of perception, forcing us to pay closer attention to the details of our surroundings and experiences. It thwarts perceptual automatism.
- B. Foregrounding Artistic Devices: The technique foregrounds artistic devices, such as language, form, and structure, drawing attention to the artifice of the work and preventing us from passively consuming it.
- C. Slowing Down the Reading Process: By making the familiar strange, defamiliarization slows down the reading or viewing process, encouraging careful observation and interpretation.
III. The Purpose and Effects of Defamiliarization
- A. Enhancing Perception and Understanding: The primary purpose of defamiliarization is to enhance perception and understanding by breaking down habitual ways of seeing and thinking.
- B. Challenging Conventional Thinking: By presenting familiar things in a new light, defamiliarization challenges conventional thinking and encourages us to question our assumptions.
- C. Creating Artistic and Aesthetic Impact: Defamiliarization is a powerful tool for creating artistic and aesthetic impact, making works of art more memorable and engaging.
- D. Invigorating Language and Imagery: Defamiliarization invigorates language and imagery, making them more vivid and evocative.
IV. Techniques of Defamiliarization in Literature
- A. Unusual Perspective or Point of View: Narrating a story from the perspective of an animal, a child, or an inanimate object can create a sense of defamiliarization.
- B. Distorted Language and Syntax: Using distorted language, neologisms, or unconventional syntax can make familiar concepts seem strange and new.
- C. Altered Time and Space: Manipulating time and space, such as through flashbacks, dream sequences, or distorted spatial environments, can create a sense of defamiliarization.
V. Defamiliarization in Visual Arts
- A. Disrupting Visual Conventions and Expectations: Visual artists use defamiliarization to disrupt visual conventions and expectations, challenging our habitual ways of seeing.
- B. Use of Juxtaposition, Distortion, and Abstraction: Techniques such as juxtaposition, distortion, and abstraction can create a sense of defamiliarization in visual artworks.
- C. Examples from Painting, Sculpture, and Photography: Surrealist paintings, abstract sculptures, and experimental photography often employ defamiliarization to create striking visual effects.
VI. Defamiliarization in Theatre and Performance
- A. Brechtian Alienation Effect (Verfremdungseffekt): Bertolt Brecht’s “Verfremdungseffekt,” or alienation effect, is a key example of defamiliarization in theatre. It aims to prevent audience identification with the characters and encourage critical reflection.
- B. Breaking the Fourth Wall and Audience Interaction: Breaking the fourth wall, or directly addressing the audience, can create a sense of defamiliarization by disrupting the dramatic illusion.
- C. Disrupting Dramatic Illusion: Techniques such as episodic structure, direct address, and theatrical devices can be used to disrupt dramatic illusion and create a sense of defamiliarization.
VII. Defamiliarization in Music
- A. Unconventional Use of Harmony, Melody, and Rhythm: Composers can use unconventional harmonies, melodies, and rhythms to create a sense of defamiliarization in music.
- B. Experimentation with Sound and Instrumentation: Experimentation with unusual sounds, instrumentation, and recording techniques can further enhance the effect of defamiliarization.
- C. Challenging Musical Conventions and Expectations: By challenging musical conventions and expectations, composers can create new and innovative musical experiences.
VIII. The Cognitive Impact of Defamiliarization
- A. Stimulating Cognitive Processing and Attention: Defamiliarization stimulates cognitive processing and attention by forcing us to actively engage with the presented material.
- B. Enhancing Memory and Recall: The novelty and surprise associated with defamiliarization can enhance memory and recall, making the experience more memorable.
- C. The Role of Surprise and Novelty: Surprise and novelty are key components of defamiliarization, triggering heightened cognitive processing and attention.
IX. Defamiliarization and Perception
- A. Challenging Habitual Modes of Seeing and Thinking: Defamiliarization directly challenges habitual modes of seeing and thinking, encouraging us to question our assumptions and biases.
- B. Promoting Fresh Perspectives and Insights: By disrupting automatic perception, defamiliarization promotes fresh perspectives and insights, allowing us to see the world in new ways.
- C. The Relationship Between Perception and Cognition: Defamiliarization highlights the close relationship between perception and cognition, demonstrating how our perceptions shape our thoughts and understanding.
X. Defamiliarization and Language
- A. Disrupting Automatic Language Processing: Defamiliarization can disrupt automatic language processing by using unconventional syntax, neologisms, or figurative language.
- B. Foregrounding the Materiality of Language: By drawing attention to the sounds, rhythms, and structures of language, defamiliarization foregrounds its materiality.
- C. Creating New Meanings and Interpretations: Defamiliarization can create new meanings and interpretations by presenting familiar words and phrases in unfamiliar contexts.
XI. Defamiliarization and Time
- A. Altering the Experience of Time Through Narrative Structure: Techniques like flashbacks, flash-forwards, and non-linear narratives can alter the reader’s experience of time, creating a sense of defamiliarization.
- B. Slowing Down or Accelerating the Reading Pace: Defamiliarization can slow down or accelerate the reading pace, drawing attention to specific moments or creating a sense of disorientation.
- C. Disrupting Chronological Order: Disrupting chronological order can create a sense of defamiliarization by challenging our expectations of narrative structure.
XII. Defamiliarization and Space
- A. Creating Unfamiliar or Distorted Spatial Environments: Defamiliarization can create unfamiliar or distorted spatial environments, challenging our conventional understanding of place and location.
- B. Challenging Conventional Notions of Place and Location: By presenting familiar places in unfamiliar ways, defamiliarization challenges our assumptions about space and our relationship to it.
- C. The Impact on Reader Orientation and Experience: Distorted or unfamiliar spaces can disorient the reader, creating a sense of unease or wonder.
XIII. Defamiliarization and Emotion
- A. Evoking Unexpected Emotional Responses: Defamiliarization can evoke unexpected emotional responses by presenting familiar situations in unfamiliar ways.
- B. Challenging Emotional Clichés and Stereotypes: By disrupting habitual emotional responses, defamiliarization can challenge emotional clichés and stereotypes.
- C. The Relationship Between Defamiliarization and Affect: Defamiliarization can alter our affective responses, creating new and nuanced emotional experiences.
XIV. Defamiliarization and Ideology
- A. Challenging Dominant Ideologies and Social Norms: Defamiliarization can be used to challenge dominant ideologies and social norms by presenting alternative perspectives and viewpoints.
- B. Promoting Critical Thinking and Social Awareness: By disrupting habitual ways of thinking, defamiliarization promotes critical thinking and social awareness.
- C. The Political Implications of Defamiliarization: Defamiliarization can have significant political implications by encouraging us to question the status quo and envision alternative social realities.
XV. Defamiliarization and Humor
- A. Using Defamiliarization to Create Comic Effects: Defamiliarization can be a powerful tool for creating comic effects by presenting familiar situations in absurd or unexpected ways.
- B. Disrupting Expectations and Creating Surprise: Humor often relies on the disruption of expectations and the creation of surprise, both of which are central to defamiliarization.
- C. The Relationship Between Humor and Cognitive Processing: Humor, like defamiliarization, involves a disruption of cognitive processing, leading to a sense of surprise and amusement.
XVI. The Challenges of Implementing Defamiliarization
- A. Balancing Strangeness with Comprehensibility: A key challenge is balancing the strangeness of defamiliarization with comprehensibility. The work should be challenging but not completely alienating.
- B. Avoiding Alienation and Confusion: Overuse or ineffective use of defamiliarization can lead to alienation and confusion, hindering the reader’s engagement with the work.
- C. Ensuring Purposeful and Meaningful Use: Defamiliarization should be used purposefully and meaningfully, serving a clear artistic or thematic function. It should not be used merely for its own sake.
XVII. Defamiliarization in Different Cultural Contexts
- A. Cross-Cultural Variations in Perception and Meaning: Perceptions and meanings vary across different cultures, influencing how defamiliarization is interpreted and experienced.
- B. The Influence of Cultural Background on Defamiliarization: Cultural background plays a significant role in shaping our understanding of what is familiar and what is strange, impacting the effectiveness of defamiliarization.
- C. Examples from Different Cultural Traditions: Examining examples of defamiliarization from different cultural traditions reveals the diverse ways in which this technique is employed and interpreted.
XVIII. The Evolution of Defamiliarization
- A. From Russian Formalism to Contemporary Usage: Defamiliarization has evolved from its origins in Russian Formalism to become a widely used and influential technique in contemporary art and literature.
- B. The Influence of Poststructuralism and Other Theories: Poststructuralism and other critical theories have further explored and expanded the concept of defamiliarization, connecting it to broader questions of language, meaning, and ideology.
- C. Examples from Different Historical Periods: Comparing examples of defamiliarization from different historical periods reveals the changing ways in which this technique has been used and interpreted.
XIX. Defamiliarization in Advertising and Marketing
- A. Using Defamiliarization to Capture Attention: Advertisers and marketers often use defamiliarization to capture attention and make their messages more memorable.
- B. Creating Memorable and Engaging Advertisements: By presenting familiar products or situations in unexpected ways, advertisements can create a lasting impression on consumers.
- C. Examples of Defamiliarization in Marketing Campaigns: Using unusual imagery, unexpected juxtapositions, or distorted perspectives are common techniques in defamiliarizing advertising.
XX. The Enduring Relevance and Impact of Defamiliarization
- A. Its Continued Use in Various Art Forms and Media: Defamiliarization continues to be a relevant and powerful technique in various art forms and media, from literature and film to visual arts and music.
- B. Its Capacity to Enhance Perception, Understanding, and Creativity: Its capacity to enhance perception, understanding, and creativity ensures its enduring appeal.
- C. The Future of Defamiliarization in a Changing Cultural Landscape: In a constantly evolving cultural landscape, defamiliarization will continue to adapt and find new forms of expression, challenging our perceptions and expanding our understanding of the world. The act of making strange, of re-seeing, of challenging the quotidian—this is the enduring power of defamiliarization, a testament to the human capacity for perception, creativity, and critical thought. The disruption of habit, the foregrounding of artifice, the invitation to re-examine—these are the hallmarks of defamiliarization, and they will continue to resonate within the human experience. The very act of perceiving, of interpreting, of making sense of the world, is inherently intertwined with the potential for defamiliarization. This fundamental aspect of human cognition guarantees that the art of making strange will remain a vital and compelling force in art, literature, and culture. The fresh perspective, the renewed appreciation, the artful disruption of the commonplace—this is the enduring legacy of defamiliarization, a testament to the human drive to see the world anew.
