Meta-expresión (Meta-expression) 

Meta-expresión (Meta-expression) 

The concept of artwork being “meta” often appears in numerous forms of media and has quickly become a part of daily life. The prefix meta was created by the ancient Greeks to describe something that goes beyond its original meaning by referring to itself. By inflicting a sense of reality, meta-expression serves as a unique tool that deflects audiences’ perception of the artwork itself. As seen in notable films like Fight Club and 12 Monkeys, themes of self-reference and the breaking of the 4th wall take prominence. Meta-expression also reveals itself in other media forms like literature and photonovels. Artists, authors, and filmmakers worldwide, have used meta-expression for centuries by including their quirks to make their work so ingeniously unique. This essay, as you will slowly learn, claims that the meta-expression used by Pablo Neruda in his piece “Poema 20” can also be found among completely unrelated pieces. This idea will be explored through a broadened artistic lens that allows its audience to question how frequently meta-expression presents itself in their lives. 

Pablo Neruda’s “Poema 20” embodies themes of doomed romance to represent the love for his subject through the usage of meta-poetry. The world-renowned Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, was famous for his unique and purposeful works. He explores meta-poetry in “Poema 20” masterfully, as he uses one key phrase that pulls the audience back to reality: “Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche” Translated: “I can write the saddest verses tonight” (1, Neruda).  Here, he suggests the possibility of a poem, rather than simply writing one. The poem continues with tragic yet beautiful night imagery that implies a sense of disdain and hurt. “La besé tantas veces bajo el cielo infinito” Translated: “I kissed her many times under the infinite sky” (8, Neruda) he says. Due to the lack of rhythm and structure, the poem resembles a streamline of thoughts, almost as if the audience were a part of his conscience. The addition of the line “Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche” (1, Neruda) reinforces the idea that this piece is more closely reflective of Neruda’s raw, internal feelings rather than his professional work. The use of meta-poetry here amplifies Neruda’s true love towards his past lover, which adds a new layer of heartbreak that touches the audience perfectly. This repetition enables Neruda’s audience to feel the doomed romance exactly how he himself experienced it. Details of meta-poetry in “Poema 20” significantly alter the reader's experience with the piece as they are presented with the opportunity to connect with it on a deeper, more personal level. 

Meta-cinematography is another form of meta-expression used for centuries by acclaimed directors around the world. The notable film Fight Club follows the life of a depressed man who meets salesperson Tyler Durden; together they create an underground fight club that quickly gains national traction (Fight Club (1999)). What is particularly interesting about this film is that its entirety is a metalepsis of its own story. Throughout the movie, Tyler Durden makes remarks regarding frame splicing, a technique where filmmakers cut and join strips of film using tape to augment the picture. Creatively, almost as if it were spliced in, this technique appears numerous times in the film itself. Each splice features an image of Tyler Durden in a new position, suggesting that he employed this cinematic technique into the film's production. This reference to the methodology enhances the profound sense of meta-cinematography.

Complex ideas found in meta-cinematic projects date back to the early 20th century. A great example of an early meta “film” is La Jetée, a French science-fiction piece released in 1962; it follows a man who must time travel through his own memories in order to save the world from apocalypse. Due to its distinctly unique production, La Jetée has made a tremendous impact on the film industry. The entire work is a series of still images rather than a moving picture. The idea of creating a “film” that juxtaposes the traditional ideals of a motion picture, is in itself, quite meta. It proposes that a film does not need to be continuously moving in order to be a masterpiece. Through the use of stills, La Jetée replicates a photographic memory, allusive to the foundational theme of dreams and mind pictures. Its literal understanding of the human brain and radical take on orthodox film production, masterfully creates a photonovel that continues to broach the idea of cinematography as a whole. 

The act of rebooting and remaking films or other media forms serves as a prime example of intertextual expression. A recreation of a media form is a direct reference to the original piece, the main principle of meta-expression. This logic can also be applied to influence and inspiration. When an idea is not completely original, and created under the influences of other artists, it is essentially a piece that reflects the ideas of a different work. That is why there are so many loopholes to this idea of intertext. An example of this is the film 12 Monkeys. 12 Monkeys is a film created in 1995, that claims to be inspired by La Jetée. The importance here is the wording. Rather than the film being a complete remake of La Jetée, it was only inspired by it. By doing this, the director of 12 Monkeys, Terry Gilliam, criticizes the idea of recreating a film by moving away from meta tendencies and creating a completely new film. 12 Monkeys being its own movie rather than being a modern-day La Jetée, also poses the idea that La Jetée might actually be impossible to recreate because of its individuality and distinct style, and recreating it would be both insulting to the film and create new ideas and theories of the movie that were never originally present. Once a slightly different wording is revealed to an audience, new interpretations sprout that might be untrue to the original, which is unfair to the first piece. If it was never originally intended, how is it fair to propose new opinions on a film that is so strongly connected to the original? 

To avoid the negative results of a remake, many artists and directors choose to make references to other works of art as opposed to a copy. This idea is presented in both La Jetée and 12 Monkeys, but rather than reference each other, the pieces introduce a third-party film, Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock. Each movie uniquely incorporates Vertigo into its own production and story. In 12 Monkeys, there is a scene in which the two main characters go to the theater that happens to hold a 24-hour Hitchcock showing. This is followed by an exact scene-by-scene replication of Vertigo accompanied by the infamous “Prelude and Rooftop” from the film. Although this may be perceived as a fun easter egg by Terry Gilliam, what makes this detail nuanced is La Jetée’s relationship with the film Vertigo. Chris Marker, director and creative genius behind La Jetée, admired Hitchcock for his astounding work and ability to transform the movie industry. Many think La Jetée was a response to Vertigo because of the resurrecting themes of a dead love obsession. (Little White Lies). There is one scene in La Jetée that is arguably the most striking scene in film history: the sleeping montage. In the middle of the photonovel, there is a “scene” composed of about 20 stills, where the woman is moving in her sleep. After 45 seconds of this, the woman slowly opens her eyes and blinks thrice. This is the only time that the picture continuously moves in the piece. This detail is considered the vertigo of time (Little White Lies). By sparking a conversation and creating a dialogue between the two pieces rather than simply alluding to the original work, creatives are able to make significantly intelligent commentaries on the art world. 

Meta-expression has proven to be abundant among numerous art forms. From poetry to film, creative thinkers and directors have incorporated meta aspects into their work to intensify the passion and individuality of the piece. 

And those are all of the ideas that I can write about tonight.

Works cited:

“Babel Web Anthology :: Works.” Www.babelmatrix.org, www.babelmatrix.org/works/es/Neruda%2C_Pablo-1904/Poema_20/en/32895-Poem_20. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.

“Fight Club (1999).” Letterboxd.com, letterboxd.com/film/fight-club/.

“La Jetée (1962).” Letterboxd.com, letterboxd.com/film/la-jetee/.

Little White Lies. “La Jetée and 12 Monkeys | Original vs Remake.” Www.youtube.com, 7 Dec. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tT8lpQz3N8.

Marker, Chris. “La Jetée.” The Criterion Channel, 1963, www.criterionchannel.com/videos/la-jetee. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

“Notes on Metamodernism.” Https://Www.metamodernism.com/, 2024, www.metamodernism.com/. Accessed 14 Apr. 2024.

“Twelve Monkeys (1995).” Letterboxd.com, letterboxd.com/film/twelve-monkeys/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.