When you think of the term “Breaking the Fourth Wall,” more likely than not, the first name that comes to mind is Marvel Comics' titular assassin Deadpool. In both the comic books and movies he is a snarky, wisecracking killer with a heart of gold (or at least, very shiny brass). But his main claim to fame is that he is known for referencing things outside of his given medium that he should have no business knowing about in his current setting, and even goes so far as to speak directly to the audience as if he knows he is a fictional character (which he actually does). He is certainly not the first character in comics to do this; DC's Ambush bug and Marvel's own She-Hulk and Gwenpool have done this in runs of their books, and Harley Quinn has played fast and loose with the fourth wall without going as far as Deadpool. Even characters such as Dr. Fate, Zatanna and Mr. Terrific have on occasion broken it in some way, shape or form. But Deadpool is the most famous for it, by a long stretch.
What separates Deadpool from other fourth wall breaking characters is the fact that he is using that fourth wall break to offer satirical commentary on the very genres he is participating in. He skewers comic book tropes, superhero tradition, the “Extreme” trends of the 1990s that birthed him, Action movie conventions, the X-franchise he calls home, and the pop culture zeitgeist he is firmly entrenched in. He makes fun of it while being a part of it, and that appeals greatly to fans of the genres he represents. But this begs the question: Deadpool does it, and does it well. But should YOU do it?
How the fourth wall applies to prose
The idea of the fourth wall is very much a visual thing, and works better in visual mediums (TV, theater, Comic Books, Movies and video games). But I believe you can also achieve an equivalent in prose. I don't believe most 1st person stories in prose count as breaking the fourth wall. In most of these stories the protagonist is speaking as if in an internal monologue or speaking to a confidant. You the reader are in the action with them, or it's as if they are sitting next to you talking about something that happened to them in the past. There is no acknowledgment of them being fictional nor of you not belonging in the setting. When a character breaks the fourth wall in prose, there is an understanding from the character at some level that they are in a work of fiction, and the reader is, in fact, a reader and not a participant in the story. Good examples of this are Kurt Vonnegut’s Novel “Breakfast of Champions,” the Tristam Shandy novels, and “At Swim-Two Birds” by Flann O’Brien.
Why break the fourth wall?
But when you are writing your story, have you ever considered breaking the fourth wall? This begs the question of why a writer would do that. In most instances, breaking the fourth wall is a tool to offer commentary of some sort of the story at hand. Perhaps to give a different view of the absurdity that is going on in the story or the greater circumstances surrounding it (whether fictional or real). If you have no other way of offering this commentary and it is crucial to the story, then this may be the best option for you. Of course, if breaking the fourth wall is what your character routinely does, then it pays to establish that aspect of them early so it does not become jarring later. But breaking the fourth wall also allows a character to step outside of the immediate moment, pause the story, and reflect on what is really going on. This was done to great effect in the final episode of Moonlighting, where the fictional characters had to deal with the very real cancellation of their TV show.
When to break the fourth wall, comedically or dramatically
It's easier to break the fourth wall in a comedic fashion. There are plenty of examples of that in stage, screen and film. The Zucker Brothers and Mel Brooks have done it numerous times in their iconic comedy movies; Martin Lawrence has been known to wink at the audience and remind them that his iconic TV show is, in fact, a TV show; The old sitcom Gary Shandling's Show's entire premise was that the cast knew they were characters in a sitcom; The Flinstones were known for having their utility dinosaurs speak directly to the audience in snide comments that the humans couldn't hear; and Tyler Perry's Madea is well known for pausing the play to talk in character directly to the audience during a play. It is easier because there is an expectation that the story or some of the characters within aren't truly taking themselves completely serious. For drama it can be harder to pull off, but it is still possible. One play (I never got the title) I saw on TV had a bunch of fictional characters having a very heated confrontation with their creator after just realizing they were not real people. More famously, the family drama “Door in the Floor” ends with a very sad and tragic fourth wall break, where the Protagonist, after essentially losing everything, looks pathetically out towards the audience, finds a literal door in the floor that wasn't there before, and leaves through it. Even the legendary opera Pagliacci ends with the central character telling the audience that the play is over.
What are the risks of breaking the fourth wall
Breaking the fourth wall has its purpose, but if not handled properly, can do serious damage to you story. That moment can interrupt the flow of the story because it can literally take the characters out of the story while they address the audience. It can also make the character less believable or reliable, because if they know they are in a story that isn't real, then why would they be compelled to follow the rules of storytelling? And depth of character you were building could be rendered moot. On top of that, breaking the fourth wall could damage suspension of disbelief in the reader. Why would the reader buy into the story if the characters themselves aren't buying in? Keep these risks in mind when making that decision, and try to craft your story to mitigate them.
When done well, Breaking the fourth wall can create some very intriguing story moments. Grant Morrison did this masterfully multiple times, like in Animal Man, where the titular character actually met Grant, who was writing his story at the time. He also did this in Multiversity, where he created an entire comic book in first person where the reader themselves were the superhero, in a story that completely obliterated the fourth wall. It is something worth considering if it fits within the framework of your story, and can be a valuable tool in a writer's toolbox.
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