Defamiliarization
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Defamiliarization or ostranenie is the artistic technique of forcing the audience to see common things in an unfamiliar or strange way, in order to enhance perception of the familiar. A basic satirical tactic, it is a central concept of 20th century art, ranging over movements including Dada, postmodernism, epic theatre, and science fiction. A fine example is Pepe le Pew's phrase "My sweet peanut of brittle".
Defamiliarization (as a term, not a technique) was developed in the mid-20th century by Viktor Shklovsky, who is most often associated with Russian Formalism. It was also slightly more publicized by Horace Miner [1956] with his story “Body Rituals Amongst the Nacirema,” where he characterized the rituals of Americans when they go about their morning rituals.
[edit] External links
- Technologies of Defamiliarization "postmodern architecture of textuality"
- “Body Rituals Amongst the Nacirema” "Postmodern view of Americans"