This is not a term or phrase that is commonly used. So you can imagine something that subverts as overturning or flipping the usual way of doing things, like a student who subverts a teacher's authority, causing chaos in the classroom. To subvert an institution like a school or a government is to overthrow it or stop its normal way of functioning. The girl who wears a tuxedo to the prom might subvert traditional ideas about beauty. When you subvert something, your words or actions criticize or undermine the usual way of doing something or common values. Subvert expectations mean to purposely behave or act contrary to established assumptions and beliefs to be more interesting. Come on! I was just trying to subvert expectations! Your report written in crayon was very unprofessional.ī. Star Wars: The Last Jedi did a great job of subverting audience expectations!Ī. Sometimes mistakenly used as a positive when the result in neither fresh nor interesting.Ī. Usually used in the arts when analyzing the reaction of the audience to a performance or piece of writing. To behave contrary to an established belief or assumption for the purpose of being fresh and interesting. * A lot of my examples come from Buffy because it’s the show I’m currently watching.Here's the definition from the Urban Dictionary: Don’t be surprised if they the parts or characters you find most interesting.
Subvert expectations meaning movie#
So next time you’re watching a movie or reading a book, keep an eye out for instances of subversion. But be aware that it’s possible to reinforce the baseline too much and annoy your readers. Sometimes you will see 4- or even 5-beats, especially in longer works. The third time, however, he subverts by simply smiling and walking away from her, showing the change and emotional growth he’s undergone throughout the episode. The first two times, Xander gets defensive. The first two times, she tells Xander that he is a dork and uncool and that he is basically useless to his friends. It’s worthwhile to note that 3-beats often stretch throughout an entire work – as in another episode of Buffy, The Zeppo, where Xander meets Cordelia three times. The basic structure of a 3-beat is as follows:īeat 1: Establishment – we’re given the baseline for the 3-beat.īeat 2: Reinforcemen t – the baseline is shown again to emphasize it and make it stronger.īeat 3: Subversion– we subvert the audience’s expectation, by deviating from the established baseline. Basically, it means that a particular thing or idea is reinforced at least 3 times. What is a 3-beat, you ask? Well, the term is a little amorphous. However, the most powerful way to deliver a piece of subversion is in a 3-beat. It’s possible to deliver a subversion all on its own, especially of the cultural acceptance of the trope that is being subverted is strong enough. This sort of subversion can be played out on the micro-level – as we see here when all three beats are delivered in a matter of seconds – or over the course of the entire story. But at the end, our expectations are subverted when she asks the question again even after Alphonse has given the expected answer. The first two times Vamp Willow asks the question, we think she’s simply trying to figure out who the Vampire’s boss is. Vamp Willow: “ Who do you work for?” Bats eyes suggestively. Vamp Willow: Breaks one of Alphonse’s fingers. Vamp Willow: “Really? Who do you work for?” ( Transcript Here).Īlphonse: “There’s been some mistake – we were sent after a human.” A vampire version of Willow has come over from another dimension and laid the smackdown on Alphonse, a vampire who, believing her to be the regular Willow, attacked her. Consider this piece of dialogue from season 3, episode 16 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doppelgangland.
Subversion can be applied in other aspects, as well. Neither of these characters would be as compelling without these dichotomous aspects of their personalities, i.e., if they were simply the meth cook or the slayer. The title character from * Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the only one who “stands against the demons, vampires, and forces of darkness” – but also worries about boys and clothes and simply passing History class. Walter White in Breaking Bad is a nerdy, seemingly-conformist high school chemistry teacher – who begins cooking meth. Many great characters are actually subversions, or at least display some manner of subversion in their personalities. But you can also use subversion in fiction to make your plot, characters, and dialogue more interesting.īasically, you take an accepted convention or system and flip it on its head. Normally, the term is applied to politics, as in subverting the government. Today’s article is about subverting expectation in fiction.Īccording to the Oxford Dictionary, subversion is the act of undermining something, usually an established system or institution.
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