In any communication, in any medium or format, "subtext" is the underlying or implicit meaning that, while not explicitly stated, is understood by an audience.
The
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
defines it as "an underlying and often distinct theme in a conversation, piece of writing, etc.", while according to
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated is an list of companies of the United States by state, American company that publishes reference work, reference books and is mostly known for Webster's Dictionary, its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary pub ...
, subtext is "the implicit or metaphorical meaning (as of a literary text)".
These definitions highlight that subtext involves themes or messages that are not directly conveyed, but can be inferred.
About subtext
Subtext is content "sub" i.e. "under" (with the sense of "hidden beneath") the verbatim wording; readers or audience must "gather" subtext "reading between the lines" or
inferring meaning, a process needed for a clear and complete understanding of the text. A meaning stated explicitly is, by definition not subtext (for lack of hiding), and writers may be criticized for failure artfully to create and use subtext; such works may be faulted as too "on the nose", with the characters meaning what they literally have said, undermining
dramatic tension, and leaving the work too prosaic.
Subtext also may be included in the action of
narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...
s, with secondary themes expressed in order to appeal to a general audience. Such approaches to sexual or otherwise more adult story-content, in works accessible to the young, often fails to "register" for the young reader, though adults will catch the child-invisible nuances.
Formats for creating subtext
Below are the main types of subtext that are used in film:
*Have a character comment on an aspect of another person's relationship which is present in the relationship of the people in the current conversation.
*Body language communicates subtext. Body language is often used to convey whether a character is welcoming or threatening.
*Implied accusations, often communicated through leading questions, are a form of subtext. For example, when a lawyer asks you "what were you doing on the night of the 23rd", that is an implied accusation.
*Facial expressions and voice tone express many things including discontent and suspicion. For example, a quiet one-word answer to a question implies that the speaker is lying and that they do not want to say the true answer.
*The subtext of how much people care for each other can be communicated by showing the amount of care, interest, and attentiveness people have for each other's opinions, desires, and character traits.
Linguistic
implicature
In pragmatics, a subdiscipline of linguistics, an implicature is something the speaker suggests or implies with an utterance, even though it is not literally expressed. Implicatures can aid in communicating more efficiently than by explicitly sayi ...
studies the kinds of subtext that are often used within language itself.
See also
References
{{Nonverbal communication
Literary concepts
Fiction
Theme