ostranenie

Ostranenie, also rendered as ostranenie or ostраnenie, is a literary and artistic technique meaning defamiliarization: the deliberate transformation of familiar objects, events, or linguistic patterns into something strange in order to renew perception. The term was introduced by Viktor Shklovsky, a leading figure of Russian Formalism, in his 1917 essay Art as Technique.

The central idea is that art’s primary function is to disrupt automatic perception by presenting everyday life in unfamiliar language or form, thereby forcing readers or viewers to notice aspects that usually go unnoticed. By making the familiar seem strange, art slows perception and heightens attention, encouraging a fresh engagement with reality.

Techniques associated with ostranenie include unusual imagery, surprising metaphors, defamiliarized syntax, narrative disruption, and the reordering of ordinary conventions. These devices interrupt habitual interpretations and prolong the sensory experience, prompting readers to re-evaluate language, objects, and social norms rather than accept them at face value.

Origin and influence: Although developed within literature, ostranenie has been widely applied to film, theater, visual arts, and music. It became a cornerstone of Russian Formalist thought and influenced later critical approaches, including structuralism and post-structural critiques. Critics note that the term can be used broadly to describe various forms of innovation, so precise definitions may vary across disciplines. Nevertheless, ostranenie remains a foundational concept for understanding how art reframes perception by making the familiar appear strange.