metadiegetic

Metadiegetic describes a narrative level nested within the diegesis, the fictional world of a story as experienced by its characters. In narratology and film theory, the diegetic level is the world where events unfold for the characters; a metadiegetic layer is a story or narration that exists inside that diegetic world—often produced by a character within the story or presented to other diegetic participants.

Etymology and usage: the term combines meta- with diegesis, signaling a level beyond or inside the main diegesis. It is used to analyze how nested storytelling operates, including self-reflexive or meta-narrative devices. Metadiegetic is typically contrasted with extradiegetic (outside the story’s world) and with the main diegetic or intradiegetic level itself. In practice, metadiegetic content can take the form of a character recounting a tale, a book or document read aloud within the story, or a film-within-a-film presented to characters in the diegetic world.

Examples and implications: a character tells a story to other characters, and the events of that tale constitute a metadiegetic layer relative to the outer narrative. Another common instance is a film-within-a-film, where the inner movie’s events are embedded inside the outer film’s diegesis. Metadiegetic narration can shape audience perception by creating layered perspectives, allegories, or commentary that operate inside the story’s own world.

See also: diegesis, extradiegetic, frame narrative, metalepsis.