In film criticism, the term 'diegetic' is used to establish

File: eisenstein-editing.jpg (93KB, 385x385px) Image search: [Google]

93KB, 385x385px

In film criticism, the term 'diegetic' is used to establish a device's relation to filmic reality. I know this term comes from the Greek concept of diegesis and mimesis, but the use is different.

What term is there in literary fiction to distinguish elements internal to narrative reality from external, beyond the division of form and content?

In film, a pop culture soundtrack is non-diegetic, the characters do not hear it, whereas background music as played from a radio is diegetic. (Often an element slides between the two, a record is played but the diegetic music becomes non-diegetic background.)

In literature, Ulysses' Circe chapter for example, much of what is going on is arguably representation. Leopold Bloom is not 'literally' within the context of his own reality experiencing the events of Circe, nor is he 'hallucinating' them. There are I would argue, "non-diegetic" characters in Circe. This raises the need for a term distinguishing elements of the writing not perceived by the character outside of form.

Thanks.