Editing Subtext

{{short description|Aspect of communication that is not explicitly announced}}
{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2013}}

In any communication, in any medium or format, "'''subtext'''" is the underlying or implicit meaning that, while not explicitly stated, is understood by an audience.<ref>
{{cite book
|title=The Subtle Subtext: Hidden Meanings in Literature and Life
|last=Pernot
|first=Laurent
|author-link=:fr:Laurent Pernot (helléniste)
|translator-last=Higgins
|translator-first=W. E.
|date=2021
|orig-date=2018
|chapter=Preface
|pages=vii-x
|location=University Park, Pennsylvania
|publisher=[[Penn State University Press]]
|isbn=978-0-271-09197-6
}}</ref> 

The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] defines it as "an underlying and often distinct theme in a conversation, piece of writing, etc.",<ref>
{{cite encyclopedia
|title=Subtext, N., Sense 2 
|encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary 
|date=July 2023 
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|doi=10.1093/OED/5646349087 
|url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/subtext_n?tab=meaning_and_use#20129468
|url-access=subscription
|access-date=22 May 2024
}}</ref> while according to [[Merriam-Webster]], subtext is "the implicit or metaphorical meaning (as of a literary text)".<ref>
{{cite encyclopedia
|title=subtext noun 
|encyclopedia=Merriam-Webster 
|date=15 May 2024
|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subtext
|access-date=22 May 2024
}}</ref> 

These definitions highlight that subtext involves themes or messages that are not directly conveyed, but can be inferred.

==About subtext==

Subtext is content "sub" i.e. "under" (with the sense of "hidden beneath") the verbatim wording; readers or audience must "gather" subtext "reading between the lines" or [[Inference|inferring meaning]], a process needed for a clear and complete understanding of the text.  A meaning stated explicitly is, by definition not subtext (for lack of hiding), and writers may be criticized for failure artfully to create and use subtext;{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} such works may be faulted as too "on the nose", with the characters  meaning  what they literally have said, undermining [[dramatic tension]], and leaving the work too prosaic.<ref>{{cite book |last=Seger |first=Linda |date=November 1, 2011 |title=Writing Subtext|location=Studio City, CA |publisher=Michael Wiese Production |chapter=Chapter 1: Subtext: Definition and Exploration |isbn=978-1-932907-96-4 | author-link=Linda Seger }}</ref>

Subtext also may be included in the action of [[narrative]]s, with secondary themes expressed in order to appeal to a general audience. Such approaches to sexual or otherwise more adult story-content, in works accessible to the young, often fails to "register" for the young reader, though adults will catch the child-invisible nuances.

==Formats for creating subtext==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}
Below are the main types of subtext that are used in film:
*Have a character comment on an aspect of another person's relationship which is present in the relationship of the people in the current conversation.
*Body language communicates subtext. Body language is often used to convey whether a character is welcoming or threatening.
*Implied accusations, often communicated through leading questions, are a form of subtext. For example, when a lawyer asks you "what were you doing on the night of the 23rd", that is an implied accusation.
*Facial expressions and voice tone express many things including discontent and suspicion. For example, a quiet one-word answer to a question implies that the speaker is lying and that they do not want to say the true answer.
*The subtext of how much people care for each other can be communicated by showing the amount of care, interest, and attentiveness people have for each other's opinions, desires, and character traits.
Linguistic [[implicature]] studies the kinds of subtext that are often used within language itself.

==See also==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Columns-list|
*{{annotated link|Concision}}
*{{annotated link|Connotation}}
*{{annotated link|Dramatic irony}}
*{{annotated link|Iceberg theory}}
*{{annotated link|Innuendo}}
*{{annotated link|Implicature|Implication}}
*{{annotated link|Meta-communication}}
*{{annotated link|Pragmatics}}
*{{annotated link|Speech act}}
*{{annotated link|Steganography}}
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Nonverbal communication}}

[[Category:Literary concepts]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Theme]]