【Essay】On One of the Narrative Techniques Employed in This Work

【Important Notes】

This is a rambling personal reflection essay, not an official analysis.

This is a personal views archive; if the reader disagrees, then the reader is welcome to write an article on their own.

【Key Notes】

As this piece explores the original author's intent and narrative techniques, a discussion of the audience perspective is unavoidable.

Given the focus on writing approaches, characters will be discussed as narrative devices rather than as individual human beings.

This text may disrupt audience immersion and cause discomfort; read with caution.

If this isn't your cup of tea, feel free to close the page.

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This work boasts numerous remarkable aspects, one of which lies in its narrative and writing techniques.

Let me illustrate with a small example from content I've previously discussed in my articles.

For instance, the role Damon plays in the FTE involving Eva and Wolfgang demonstrates a masterful application of writing and narrative techniques.

In both FTE segments, he repeatedly performs the action of “pouring cold water” on the other's narrative, typically at the very moment when the narrative content and the other's emotions reach their peak.

For example:
"Wouldn't that spell the end of criminal justice?"

"Sure, his mother only represented certain clients, but there hasn't been anything to suggest she cared whether they were guilty or innocent."

“Anything for the college credits, huh?”
“There's a reason second place doesn't get the gold medal.”

Comments of this kind.

　——From a writing perspective, these comments aren't merely meant to enhance character interactions or establish Damon's character through “biting remarks”; they serve as cues for the audience.

In FTE, unlike the main story, the audience experiences one-on-one conversations, or to say, emotional connections with characters through Damon's perspective.

The very act of watching a character's FTE indicates that the audience likely holds affection for that character, or at least an interest.

In this one-on-one interaction, unlike the main narrative, this specific character occupies the entire audience's field of vision—visually, textually, and in terms of cognition and emotion.

At such moments, the character's influence on the audience—both emotionally and rationally—is rapidly amplified.

—It's like the difference between A speaking in a classroom, with you and others present, versus A chatting with you privately one-on-one. The experience feels entirely different.

One is a “group activity” with a sense of public exposure; the other is a “personal exchange” with an intimate feel.

This subconsciously draws the audience closer to the character.

——This creates an effect where the psychological distance between the character and the audience becomes blurred. Or, to put it another way, the boundary is blurred.

Simply put, the audience becomes more receptive to the character's subjective narrative and is more easily swept up by the emotions they convey.

By having Damon—this “bystander/outsider”—react with detachment to the characters' highly subjective personal narratives and emotional fluctuations, shaped by their own experiences and perceptions, this serves as the most explicit hint from a writing perspective.

【“Something is off here” “There is something wrong in this person's current words” “You need to pay attention here”】

—To put it plainly, one of Damon's narrative functions here is to serve as a “warning light” set up by the author, or a “fourth wall breaker test.”

This is both to help the audience understand the characters and to test the audience—especially those who become deeply invested in the story and its characters.

　—Can you avoid being swept up by this person's emotions and narrative, maintain distance, and keep your judgment independent?

—Can you set aside your preferences and feelings, strip away your emotions, and focus on objective facts?

—Can you avoid being trapped by habitual thinking and oversimplification, and recognize the hidden manipulation, loopholes, and lies?

This work consistently employs this “testing” narrative and writing technique, from small elements like FTE to the main story itself.

I'll briefly mention a few minor examples here without going into excessive detail.

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【Rejecting Malicious Responses—Distorting the Author's Intent, Misrepresenting Article Content, or Emotional Attacks】

【The author reserves the final right to choose not to respond】