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Self-insertion

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Sandro Botticelli's painting of the Adoration of the Magi has an inserted self-portrait at the far right: the position in the corner and the gaze out to the viewer are very typical of such self-portraits.

Self-insertion is a literary device in which the author writes themself into the story as a fictional character.[1]

Forms

In art, the equivalent of self-insertion is the inserted self-portrait, where the artist includes a self-portrait in a painting of a narrative subject. This has been a common artistic device since at least the European Renaissance.

Similar literary devices include a first-person narrator, an author surrogate, and a character somewhat based on the author, whether the author included it intentionally or not. Many characters have been described as unintentional self-insertions, implying that their author is unconsciously using them as an author surrogate.[2]

"X-insert" or "reader-insert" fiction has the reader appear as a character in the story; their name is substituted with "you" or "y/n" ("your name").[3]

Mindy Kaling has been accused of using self-insertion in her movie roles.[4][5][6][7]

Criticism

Self-insertion has been criticised as a writing device as being unoriginal.[8][9]

Examples

See also

References

  1. ^ "Self-insertion meaning". Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  2. ^ Morrison, Ewan (13 August 2012). "In the beginning, there was fan fiction: from the four gospels to Fifty Shades" – via The Guardian.
  3. ^ "The A to Z of fan fiction". Inquirer Lifestyle. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  4. ^ Ampil, Izzy (18 January 2023). "Mindy Kaling's Comedy Has Gotten Tired And Now She's Being Dragged For It". BuzzFeed News.
  5. ^ "6 Tweets That Perfectly Sum Up Our Disdain For The New Velma". HuffPost UK. 19 January 2023.
  6. ^ Losciale, Marisa (15 January 2023). "HBO's 'Velma' Series Slammed by Fans Following Season Premiere". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays.
  7. ^ "Mindy Kaling's Velma emerges as the worst-rated show on IMDb and other review-aggregator websites - EasternEye". 25 January 2023.
  8. ^ "I Love When Women TV Writers Write Themselves Hot Love Interests". Jezebel. 17 February 2023.
  9. ^ ""Triggering" Manhattan: The Ethics of Self-Insertion – Confluence". 28 October 2021.
  10. ^ Mason, Fran (2009). The A to Z of Postmodernist Literature and Theater. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 338–. ISBN 9780810868557. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  11. ^ Klinkowitz, Jerome (1992). Structuring the Void: The Struggle for Subject in Contemporary American Fiction. Duke University Press. pp. 52–. ISBN 9780822312055. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  12. ^ The Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  13. ^ "Dirk Pitt Revealed | An Official Web Site for Bestselling Adventure Novelist | Author Clive Cussler". 16 June 2015.