The fictional world in which a story takes place, including all the events, characters, objects, and settings that exist within that narrative universe. It distinguishes between what exists within the story world versus outside it.
From Greek 'diegesis' meaning 'narration' or 'narrative,' from 'diegeisthai' (to narrate). Originally used in ancient Greek to distinguish between different modes of storytelling, it was revived in 20th-century film and literary theory to analyze the boundaries between fictional worlds and their presentation.
Diegesis helps us understand why some elements feel 'real' within a story while others feel like external commentary—when characters can hear the background music, it's diegetic, but when only we hear the emotional score, it's non-diegetic. This concept revolutionized film analysis and helps explain why breaking the 'fourth wall' feels so jarring—it violates diegetic boundaries!
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