Defamiliarization

Defamiliarization or ostranenie (Russian: остранение, IPA: [ɐstrɐˈnʲenʲɪjə]) is the artistic technique of presenting to audiences common things in an unfamiliar or strange way so they could gain new perspectives and see the world differently. According to the Russian formalists who coined the term, it is the central concept of art and poetry. The concept has influenced 20th-century art and theory, ranging over movements including Dada, postmodernism, epic theatre, science fiction, and philosophy; additionally, it is used as a tactic by recent movements such as culture jamming.

wikipedia/en/Defamiliarization

Defamiliarization is an artistic and literary technique, originally termed ostranenie by Russian Formalist Victor Shklovsky, that presents common, familiar things in an unfamiliar or strange way to challenge automatic perception and offer new perspectives. By manipulating language and form, writers and artists disrupt habitual ways of seeing, making audiences slow down, pay closer attention, and engage more deeply with the work and the world around them.

The Core Concept

• Making the Familiar Strange: The goal is to take something ordinary and render it new, as if seeing or experiencing it for the first time.
• Combating Habitualization: Shklovsky argued that habituation causes things to fade from our perception, leading to unconscious, automatic responses. Defamiliarization is a way to resist this “devouring” habituation.
• Heightened Awareness: This technique compels readers or viewers to question their own assumptions and perceptions, leading to a more immersive and thought-provoking experience.

How It Works (Techniques)

Defamiliarization is achieved through various artistic devices and techniques, including:

• Unconventional Comparisons: Using similes and metaphors that draw unexpected connections between two unlike things.
• Altered Language: Manipulating grammar, syntax, and word choice to create a sense of disorientation and surprise.
• New Perspectives: Describing an object or situation from a different angle, removing it from its usual associations.
• Focus on Process: Emphasizing the act of writing or the way an object is perceived rather than the subject itself.

Examples of Defamiliarization

• Literature: A poem or novel that describes a mundane event, like a woman reading a book in a park, using abstract and unfamiliar language to detail the bench, the sun, the coffee, and the book itself.
• Art: A painting that presents a common object, like a red wheelbarrow, in a way that makes it seem entirely new and significant, as if seen for the first time.
• Tolstoy’s Works: Shklovsky points to Leo Tolstoy’s use of the technique, where he might avoid accepted names for an object’s parts and instead name parts of other, unrelated objects to describe it in a new light.