History Main / WillingSuspensionofDisbelief

This trope dates back at least as far as William Shakespeare and ''Theatre/HenryV'', in which the narrator directly acts the audience to "on your imaginary forces work" in order to accept a few actors running around a stage as kings and princes and the battle of Agincourt. The MST3KMantra is an exhortation to reinstate your Willing Suspension of Disbelief even if it's been broken, because "it's just a show". Similarly, BellisariosMaxim calls the audience to reinstate their [=WSOD=] by ''ignoring'' whatever {{Plot Hole}}s or other inconsistencies broke it, or that those things really ''aren't'' as important as the audience member(s) may think.

* NecessaryWeasel: When the audience knows that the trope is unlikely/impossible/unrealistic, but is willing to accept it because it's just become part of the genre. Sure, FasterThanLightTravel is impossible, but if it means that SpaceOpera can take us to some creatively interesting parts of the universe quicker than several thousand human lifespans, we're willing to suck it up and go along with it.

To put the above in layman's terms: ''all'' stories are contrived by their very nature ([[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality since the writer has to move characters from point A to points B, C, D and so on]]), but stories can only retain viewers' suspension of disbelief insofar as the contrivances feel '''justified in-universe'''. Stories break viewers' suspension of disbelief when the contrivances start to '''feel ''forced'' onto the story ''by the writer''.'''

To put the above in layman's terms: ''all'' stories are contrived by their very nature ([[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality since the writer has to move characters from point A to points B, C, D and so on]]), but stories can only retain viewers' suspension of disbelief insofar as the contrivances feel '''''justified'' in-universe'''. Stories break viewers' suspension of disbelief when the contrivances start to '''feel ''forced'' onto the story ''by the writer'''''.

To put the above in layman's terms: ''all'' stories are contrived by their very nature ([[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality since the writer has to move characters from point A to points B, C, D and so on]]), but stories can only retain viewers' suspension of disbelief ''insofar as the contrivances feel '''justified in-universe'''.'' Stories break viewers' suspension of disbelief ''when the contrivances start to feel '''forced onto the story by the writer'''.''

* OpeningACanOfClones: Another consequence of violating suspension of disbelief is that it can cause viewers to ''stop caring'' about anything that happens in a story, because if a writer persistently demonstrates that they have no qualms against contriving whatever excuses they need to in order to take the plot in whichever direction they feel like, it can dissuade viewers from even bothering to become seriously invested in anything. (E.g., if a character dies, [[FirstLawOfResurrection why should the audience believe that said death will be permanent]]? Couldn't the author just make up '''some''' excuse to bring them BackFromTheDead later?)

* PostModernism: Postmodernism is, by its very nature, immersion-breaking, since the defining feature of postmodern art is its tendency to question the very nature of the medium through which it is being presented, and comment on the nature of similar artistic works which preceded it. If you're looking to tell an immersive story with an engaging narrative, incorporating postmodern elements may not be the smartest thing to do.

Creator/SamuelTaylorColeridge, the poet and author, called drama "that [[TropeNameres willing suspension of disbelief]] for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith ..."

Creator/SamuelTaylorColeridge, the poet and author, called drama "that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith ..."

In other words, an author's work does not ''have'' to be realistic. It only has to be believable and [[MagicAIsMagicA internally consistent]] (and even the last requirement [[BellisariosMaxim can be relieved to some extent]]). When the author pushes an audience beyond what they're willing to accept, the work fails in the eyes of that particular audience. Viewers are usually willing to go along with [[TechnoBabble creative explanations]] for things, which is why [[ArtisticLicensePhysics people don't criticize your faster-than-light wormhole travel system]] or wonder [[AppliedPhlebotinum how a shrinking potion doesn't violate the laws of matter conservation]].

But even in the more fantastical genres, suspension of disbelief can be broken when a work breaks its own established laws or asks the audience to put up with too many things that come off as contrived. A common way of putting this is "You can ask an audience to believe the impossible, but not the improbable." For example, people will accept that [[AWizardDidIt the Grand Mage can use a magic spell to teleport across the world]], or that [[StealthInSpace the spaceship has technology that makes it completely invisible]] without rendering its own sensors blind. But the audience won't accept that the ferocious carnivore [[AssPull just happened to have a heart attack and die]] right before it would have killed the main character, or that [[HollywoodHacking the hacker guessed his enemy's password on the first try just by typing random letters]]. Without [[ChekhovsGun some prior detail]] [[JustifiedTrope justifying]] it or one of the Rules listed below coming into play, an audience is going to cry foul, and their suspended disbelief is now at the forefront of their mind. What is impossible in RealLife just has to be made the norm in the setting and kept consistent for an audience to accept it.

* PostModernism: Postmodernism is, by its very nature, immersion-breaking, since the defining feature of postmodern art is its tendency to question the very nature of the medium through which it is being presented, and comment on the nature of similar artistic works which precede it. If you're looking to tell an immersive story with an engaging narrative, incorporating postmodern elements may not be the smartest thing to do.

* PostModernismL Postmodernism is, by its very nature, immersion-breaking, since the defining feature of postmodern art is its tendency to question the very nature of the medium through which it is being presented, and comment on the nature of similar artistic works which precede it. If you're looking to tell an immersive story with an engaging narrative, incorporating postmodern elements may not be the smartest thing to do.

* PostModernism

* OpeningACanOfClones: Another consequence of violating suspension of disbelief is that it can cause viewers to ''stop caring'' about anything that happens in a story, because if a writer persistently demonstrates that they have no qualms against contriving whatever excuses they need to in order to take the plot in whichever direction they feel like, it can dissuade viewers from even bothering to become seriously invested in anything. (E.g., if a character dies, why should the audience believe that said death will be permanent? For all they know, the author could just make up some excuse to bring them back from the dead in a later installment.)

-> ''"An eagle-eyed viewer might be able to see the wires. A pedant might be able to see the wires. But I think if you're looking at the wires you're ignoring the story. If you go to a puppet show you can see the wires. But it's about the puppets, it's not about the string. If you go to a Theatre/PunchAndJudy show and you're only watching the wires, you're a freak."''

The MST3KMantra is an exhortation to reinstate your Willing Suspension of Disbelief even if it's been broken, because "it's just a show". Similarly, BellisariosMaxim calls the audience to reinstate their [=WSOD=] by ''ignoring'' whatever {{Plot Hole}}s or other inconsistencies broke it, or that those things really ''aren't'' as important as the audience member(s) may think.

* FourthWall / NoFourthWall

* NecessaryWeasel: When the audience knows that the trope is unlikely / impossible / unrealistic, but is willing to accept it because it's just become part of the genre. Sure, FasterThanLightTravel is impossible, but if it means that SpaceOpera can take us to some creatively interesting parts of the universe quicker than several thousand human lifespans, we're willing to suck it up and go along with it.

* LampshadeHanging: If the characters also agree that something doesn't make sense, the audience will be relieved.

* LampshadeHanging:If the characters also agree that something doesn't make sense, the audience will be relieved.

* LampshadeHanging

* {{Conceit}}: There are some ideas in every story that just have to be accepted. For instance, if the story is about space explorers going to Mars for to meet with aleins, the conceit is that there is life on Mars.

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality - Sometimes absolute realism can make a work or story boring, disgusting, downright impossible, or otherwise just doesn't work. Breaking from it in those instances, as long as it's not an AssPull and is internally consistent, actually makes your story better.
* The AnthropicPrinciple - Pretty much every story has some fundamental elements which, unrealistic or improbable as they may be, are vital for the story to function in the first place, so, like them or not, you don't really have a choice but to suck them up if you want to enjoy the story. Sure, it might be unlikely that the GreatDetective would just happen to be around to solve the incredibly byzantine murder that someone's committed close by, but if he or she wasn't there you wouldn't be able to enjoy watching him or her solve the mystery in the first place.
* ArtisticLicense - As above, sometimes the correct depiction of something wouldn't work for the story in some way (e.g. in a CopShow, having everyone do paperwork and eat and drink coffee 90 percent of the time would likely bore the audience, which is expecting drama and action). Generally doesn't break Willing Suspension of Disbelief unless the following applies:

* AssPull: THE biggest way you can break Willing Suspension Of Disbelief, as mentioned above. Some subtropes of it will do it almost 100 percent of the time, specifically the DeusExMachina and DiabolusExMachina. Generally, this trope and its subtropes needs to be approached carefully and handled masterfully in any form of media where they appear, to avoid pulling the audience out of their suspension.

* TheCoconutEffect
* {{Conceit}}

* {{Kayfabe}}

Any creative endeavor, certainly any written creative endeavor, is only successful to the extent that the audience offers this willing suspension as they read, listen, or watch. It's part of an unspoken contract: The writer provides the reader/viewer/player with a good story, and in return, they accept the reality of the story as presented, and accept that characters in the fictional universe act on their own accord.

An author's work, in other words, does not ''have'' to be realistic, only believable and [[MagicAIsMagicA internally consistent]] (even the last requirement [[BellisariosMaxim can be relieved to some extent]]). When the author pushes an audience beyond what they're willing to accept, the work fails in the eyes of [[BrokenBase that particular audience]]. As far as science fiction is concerned, viewers are usually willing to go along with [[TechnoBabble creative explanations]] which is why [[ArtisticLicensePhysics people don't criticize your wormhole travel system]] or [[AppliedPhlebotinum how a shrinking potion doesn't violate the laws of matter conservation]], but even in the more fantastical genres, suspension of disbelief can be broken when a work breaks its own established laws or asks the audience to put up with too many things that come off as contrived.

A common way of putting this is "You can ask an audience to believe the impossible, but not the improbable." For example, people will accept that [[AWizardDidIt the Grand Mage can teleport across the world]], or that [[StealthInSpace the spaceship has technology that makes it completely invisible]] without rendering its own sensors blind, but they won't accept that the ferocious carnivore [[AssPull just happened to have a heart attack and die]] right before it attacked the main character, or that [[HollywoodHacking the hacker guessed his enemy's password on the first try just by typing random letters]], at least without [[ChekhovsGun some prior detail]] [[JustifiedTrope justifying]] it or one of the Rules listed below coming into play. What is in RealLife impossible just has to be made the norm in the setting and kept consistent.

The MST3KMantra is an exhortation to reinstate your Willing Suspension Of Disbelief even if it's been broken, because "it's just a show". Similarly, BellisariosMaxim calls the audience to reinstate their [=WSOD=] by ''ignoring'' whatever {{Plot Hole}}s or other inconsistencies broke it, or that those things really ''aren't'' as important as the audience member(s) may think.

* ScienceFictionWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: In the world of the science fiction genre, things tend to be conveniently huge, or conveniently smaller than what they are in reality for the sake of keeping the suspension of disbelief going. A particularly common subtrope of this is the AsteroidThicket, a dense collection of extremely close asteroids that are somehow not merging together, despite the fact that at this sort of proximity they'd be well on the way to forming a new planet in real life.

An author's work, in other words, does not ''have'' to be realistic, only believable and [[MagicAIsMagicA internally consistent]] (even the last requirement [[BellisariosMaxim can be relieved to some extent]]). When the author pushes an audience beyond what they're willing to accept, the work fails in the eyes of [[BrokenBase that particular audience]]. As far as science fiction is concerned, viewers are usually willing to go along with [[TechnoBabble creative explanations]] which is why [[PhysicsGoof people don't criticize your wormhole travel system]] or [[AppliedPhlebotinum how a shrinking potion doesn't violate the laws of matter conservation]], but even in the more fantastical genres, suspension of disbelief can be broken when a work breaks its own established laws or asks the audience to put up with too many things that come off as contrived.

* MagicAIsMagicA: If you want to make the audience believe the impossible, you must make it consistent between iterations of said impossibility. For example, if it's established that a wizard can only summon beings weaker than itself, and then the newbie summons a full-blown EldritchAbomination, you might need to HandWave it or [[Foreshadowing establish before]] that they can pull that off.

* MagicAIsMagicA