Pirandellian

1 9.9

Telling a story in a way that makes readers or viewers doubt what is real and who the characters are

adjective
/ˌpɪrənˈdɛliən/

Literature

: pirandelliano

The play's complex structure and unexpected twists provide a truly Pirandellian experience for the audience.

Examples

Finally, a 1952 strip of Bringing Up Father provides us with a very Pirandellian case of a character in search of his author: Jiggs says in the first strip, "I wonder what's gonna happen today?"

Academic text (2014)
In his latest novel, the author explores Pirandellian themes of identity and reality through the character's fragmented perspective.
She often uses Pirandellian elements in her storytelling, blurring the line between the characters' lives and the audience's reality.

Surface Forms

Pirandellian positive

Morphology

Pirandellian = Pirandello (transparent) = Pirandello + ian

Formed by adding the productive adjectival suffix '-ian' to the proper name 'Pirandello', yielding 'relating to Pirandello or his works'.

Etymology

The word Pirandellian comes from the name of the Italian writer Pirandello, whose plays often mix 'fiction' and 'real life' by having characters act like actors and speak to the audience, so Pirandellian describes a style that makes you question what is real.