Crafting Characters by Using Subext by Guest Author Magna Kruger: Part 3 of 3

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Picture this: It is the Academy Awards.  That coveted Oscar is confirmation of the ability to be excellent in a creative craft albeit acting, screenwriting or directing. The presenter reads the nominations and everyone cheers. The faces of the nominees are on screen and they are proud. Then the winner is announced and almost always, the smiles stay stuck to the faces of the ‘losers’. We imagine what they are thinking. Really, I think she sleeps with the judges. Or, just shoot me now. Why him? He is a drunk. We all know he was in rehab during shooting and they had to use a body double for Pete’s sake.

And that Ladies and Gentleman of the Academy, is subtext.  We don’t know for sure what the other nominees are thinking but we can just imagine because we see it on their faces. Now, let’s look at a theoretical explanation of subtext:

Subtext: Definition and Explanation

Subtext is the unspoken or less obvious meaning or message in a literary composition, drama, speech or conversation. Subtext comes to be known by the reader or audience over time as it is not immediately or purposefully revealed by the story itself. (Cambridge Dictionary)

Examples of Subtext

Let’s get back to the Academy awards. The subtext here is what is below the surface (feelings of failure) does not match what is happening on the surface (faking a smile). Therefore, feelings of happiness and expectation are replaced by disappointment.
A student turns in a paper. After looking at it the teacher asks: ‘Are you sure you want to turn this in?’ The subtext of this question is the clue that the paper is not up to standard.

A cricket team loses in the final of the World cup due to bad refereeing. The losing captain says: ‘The best team won.’ The subtext is the sarcasm and resentment of a wrong decision by the empire resulting in the loss.

Types of Subtext

Privilege subtext: The audience learns what the character does not yet know. Gandalf gathers the dwarves at Bilbo’s house. The reader quickly realises that Gandalf has something planned for Bilbo while Bilbo can’t wait to get rid of his guests. In Bilbo’s defence, they did raid his pantry.

Revelation subtext: Something is revealed over time through a story. We suspect that Edward Cullen is a vampire but only because the clues are given over time. First there is the absence from school on sunny days. Then there is the strange colour of his eyes. He stops a car with one arm. He has the ability to know what others are thinking. And lastly, his skin is cold.

The importance of Subtext

Subtext is what happens under the surface-level. If the readers read between the lines they sense what is going to happen to a character. By using subtext the author can touch on controversial issues which would otherwise be left alone e.g. rape and incest. Subtext allows authors to weave through the underground treasures of themes.

Examples of Subtext in literature:

Poets are masters of subtext. WH Auden wrote Funeral Blues. The subtext here is sadness and loss and how we should make time to mourn.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking, even with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and the drum,
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle overhead. Scribbling on the sky the message
‘He is dead’.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I hoped love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Dan Brown’s controversial, The Da Vinci Code, is filled with subtext.
Sophie felt the hairs stand up on her arms. “But how could a secret that big be kept quiet all of these years?”
“Heavens!” Teabing said. ‘It has been anything but quiet! The royal bloodline of Jesus Christ is the source of the most endearing legend of all time – the Holy Grail. Magdalene’s story has been shouted from the rooftops for centuries in all kinds of metaphors and languages. Her story is everywhere once you open your eyes.”

In my series of books, Keeper of the Gates, is a family called the Darcanians. They are big, raw and in essence they are warriors. Michael, the archangel, comes to town and asks why the two men in his company always have a row over everything. Andrew Pendragon, a man from a different family comments: They are Darcanians. The subtext here is that the Darcanians fight when there’s nothing wrong with them! They like fighting and they are good at it. It defines them.

Subtext in popular culture

The Iron Giant: A lonely boy discovers and befriends a mysterious Iron Giant after Iron Giant falls from space. The boy must keep his new friend safe from the military.

What this really means: The Iron Giant rises above needing guns to combat other guns, and shows that diplomacy is the way forward.

Fury: The Americans have taken over a German town, where they are looting and ‘taking’ women. They enter an apartment and find a woman and a teenage girl. Brad Pitt’s character tells the young soldier, Norman, “She’s a good clean girl. If you don’t take her into that bedroom, I will.”

What this really means: Either you rape her or I will.

Jurassic Park: Newly created dinosaurs run riot on an island designed to show them off to tourists.

What it really means: Science can be of benefit to us but we must master it before it masters us.

In Conclusion

Books have depth if you read between the lines.  Anything can have subtext in it. When there’s a rumble outside and there are heavy clouds we know it’s going to rain because we hear the rumble. To use subtext we must be able to use our senses. Before it rains, it gets colder outside. We can feel it. It often gets darker, we can see it.

Subtext plays a pivotal role in story. It starts to rain and the sea rises. Big waves beat against the shoreline. It spills over onto the road that divides the houses from the sea. We can already sense that someone is going to crawl away from this, if they survive. We want to shout, ‘for the love of God, RUN. Run as fast and far as you can!’

Subtext is an exciting way to explain a story without explaining it. Sub-text is the story behind the story. It creates all the emotions that makes us human.


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Magna Kruger is the author of five books. She writes in the fantasy genre but likes to read in all genres.  She is currently writing BLOODSTONE, a story about the leader of a spy-ring who uses a bronze whip for transport. She chose this subject because the definition of spying fascinated her: Spying is obtaining information considered secret or confidential and without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, as it is unwelcome and in many cases illegal and punishable by law.

She is fond of writing articles on the craft of storytelling. Writing flash fiction is also a way to keep her words sharp and to the point. Her books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.  The titles are as follows;  Immortal, Gauntlet of Fire and Ascension.  Soul’s Prince and Destiny are in the process of publishing.  I am currently writing Bloodstone. These books are all books in the series: Keeper of the Gates.

Crafting Characters -- By Guest Author Magna Kruger, Part 1
21: Pacing Yourself: Creating a Sense of Action in Words