Diegeettiset

Diegeettiset refers to elements that belong to the diegesis, the fictional world of a narrative such as a film, TV series, or literary work. The concept originates in film theory and narratology, where diegesis describes what the characters can perceive and what exists within the story world.

Diegeettiset elements are those aspects that originate within the story world and are accessible to the characters. This includes dialogue between characters, sounds produced by objects in the scene (footsteps, doors, engines), and music that characters can hear within the world (a radio playing in a scene, a concert heard by the characters). By contrast, non-diegetic elements exist outside the characters’ world and are intended for the audience, such as a musical score heard only by viewers or a voice-over narration that the characters do not hear.

In analysis, identifying diegeettiset versus non-diege­tetic components helps describe how a work constructs reality, guides audience perception, and controls information flow. Some works blur the line through source cues or meta-narrative devices, creating transitional or ambiguous diegetic status.

Usage across media often mirrors the primary distinction between what is part of the story world and what is added for the audience’s experience. Related terms include diegesis, diegetic sound, non-diegetic, and extradiegetic. The Finnish terms diegeettinen and diegeettiset are widely used to label these elements in scholarly and critical writing.