alienation effect; Verfremdungseffekt
A theatrical technique, associated with Bertolt Brecht, that prevents the audience from losing itself completely in the narrative, instead encouraging critical detachment.
Brecht's alienation effect prevents the audience from becoming too emotionally absorbed in the story.
Calque of German Verfremdungseffekt, coined by Bertolt Brecht. The Japanese term combines 異化 (defamiliarization) and 効果 (effect).