Subtext
Narratology & storytellingThe unspoken meaning readers infer beneath a scene's dialogue and behavior.
Example
'You still have his number?' She watches the phone and leaves her coffee untouched.
Subtext is the meaning beneath what people explicitly say or do. A conversation about dinner may actually concern jealousy, obligation or an impending separation. The relationship gives ordinary words their additional meaning.
Readers infer subtext from the tension between speech, behavior and context. Those clues need enough consistency to support an interpretation. Withholding every clue can make a scene confusing rather than suggestive.
In the workshop
Write down what each speaker wants but cannot ask for openly.
Put this term to work
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