Writer & Reader SlangFoundational
Direct Address
The narration speaks directly to the reader or an explicit addressee.
Principle
Address changes the reader from observer into participant, witness, or target.
Takeaways
- It can build intimacy, accusation, conspiracy, or performance.
- It differs from second person, though they often overlap.
- Unprepared direct address can feel like a hand through the screen.
Overview
Direct address is a narrating move in which the text turns toward the reader, audience, or narratee. It is a powerful breach of ordinary distance when the surrounding form has not normalized it.
Examples
- Reader, I married him.
- You may think the old man was innocent. You would be wrong.