Tellimise

Tellimise is a term used in narrative studies to describe a hybrid storytelling approach that foregrounds how the act of telling and the arrangement of sensory cues shape audience interpretation. The concept emerged in the 2010s within discussions of memory, documentary practice, and digital media, and is used to analyze works that blend direct narration with visual, auditory, or interactive elements.

Definition: Tellimise treats narrative as a dynamic dialogue between the narrator's explicit disclosures and the audience's construction of meaning through pacing, framing, and multimodal cues. It emphasizes transparency about subjective framing while inviting viewers to infer connections not stated aloud, thereby highlighting the performative nature of telling.

Techniques: Practitioners alternate segments of spoken or written narration with scenes, visuals, or sound design. The narrator may acknowledge gaps, biases, or deliberate omissions to provoke critical reflection. Rhythm and segmentation are used to cue memory and association, while margins of interpretation are left intentionally wide.

Applications: In documentary film, screenwriting, and interactive media, tellimise can improve engagement and recall while emphasizing the active role of the audience in meaning-making. It is also discussed in literary contexts where authors blur the line between telling and showing to invite reader inference.

Reception: Critics note that tellimise can enrich interpretation but also risk steering conclusions through carefully placed cues. Proponents argue it expands expressive possibilities and fosters democratic participation in meaning-making.

Etymology: The coinage blends tell with a suffix echoing imaging and shaping, signaling a method that fuses narration and representation.

See also: narrative technique; multimodal storytelling; memory studies.