Audience surrogate - Citizendia

In the study of literature, an audience surrogate is a character with whom the audience can identify, or who expresses the questions and confusion of the audience. Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter It is a device frequently used in detective fiction and science fiction. Detective fiction is a branch of Crime fiction in which a Detective (or detectives either professional or amateur investigate a crime usually Murder

In detective fiction, the audience surrogate is usually a minor character who asks a central character how he or she accomplished certain deeds, for the purpose of inciting that character to explain (for the curious audience) his or her methods.

In science fiction, the audience surrogate frequently takes the form of a child or other uninformed person, asking a relatively educated person to explain what amounts to the backstory. CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder In Narratology, a back-story (also back story or backstory) is the history behind the situation extant at the start of the main story Clumsy use of this device is derided in the catchphrase, As You Know, Bob. A catch phrase (or catchphrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance Dialogue in fiction is a verbal exchange between two or more characters

In superhero comics and other stories with a heroic central character, the audience surrogate is often the sidekick of the hero. SideKick was an early Personal Information Manager (PIM Software application by Borland launched in 1983 under Philippe Kahn Like the audience, the surrogate is normally young, permitting the audience vicarious participation in the hero's adventures.

Dr. Watson in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes may be considered an audience surrogate as would most of The Doctor's many companions in Doctor Who. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his famous detective and illustrated by The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and also features in History of the Doctor Who companion When Doctor Who was created the dramatic structure of the programme's cast was rather different from the hero-and-sidekick Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC.

The West Wing television series frequently uses audience surrogates to explain some aspect of politics. Donna Moss is probably the most commonly used, but other characters are used occasionally in areas which are outside their own fields of expertise. Donnatella 'Donna' Moss is a Fictional character played by Janel Moloney on the Television serial Drama The West Wing

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