A body swap (also named mind swap or soul swap or brain swap) is a
storytelling device
A narrative technique (known for literary fictional narratives as a literary technique, literary device, or fictional device) is any of several specific methods the creator of a narrative uses to convey what they want
—in other words, a stra ...
seen in a variety of science and supernatural fiction, in which two people (or beings) exchange minds and end up in each other's bodies. In media such as television and film, the device is an opportunity for two actors to temporarily play each other's characters, although in some cases, dialogue is
dubbed by the original actors.
Description
There are different types of body swapping. For non-technology swapping, switches can be caused by
magic item
A magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the person or being whose hands they fall into. Magic items are commonly found in both folklore and modern fantasy. Their fictional ...
s such as amulets, heartfelt
wish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.
In fiction
In fictio ...
es, or just strange quirks of the
universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. ...
. The switches typically reverse after the subjects have expanded their
world view
A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural ...
s, gained a new appreciation for each other's troubles by literally "walking in another's shoes" and/or caused sufficient amounts of
farce. Notable examples include the books ''
Vice Versa
References
Additional references
*
*
{{Latin phrases
Lists of Latin phrases, V
ca:Locució llatina#V
da:Latinske ord og vendinger#V
fr:Liste de locutions latines#V
id:Daftar frasa Latin#V
it:Locuzioni latine#V
nl:Lijst van Latijns ...
'' (1882) and ''
Freaky Friday
''Freaky Friday'' is a comedic children's novel written by Mary Rodgers, first published by Harper & Row in 1972. It has been adapted for several films, including versions in 1976, 1995, 2003, and 2018, and was reinterpreted as a horror film f ...
'' (1972),
as well as the film versions of both.
Switches accomplished by technology, exempting gadgets
advanced sufficiently to appear as magic, are the fare of
mad scientist
The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or " insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly a ...
s. Body-swapping devices are usually characterized by a highly experimental status, straps, helmets with many complicated cables that run to a central system and a tendency to direly malfunction before their effects can be reversed. Those without such means may resort to
brain transplants. Such experiments can have overtones of
horror or
erotism.
Appearances in fiction and drama
See also
*
BeAnotherLab
*
Brain transplant
*
Head transplant
A head transplant is an experimental surgical operation involving the grafting of one organism's head onto the body of another. In many experiments, the recipient's head has not been removed, but in others it has been. Experimentation in animals ...
*
Mind uploading in fiction
Mind uploading, whole brain emulation, or substrate-independent minds, is a use of a computer or another substrate as an emulated human brain. The term "mind transfer" also refers to a hypothetical transfer of a mind from one biological brain ...
*
Soul dualism
*
Soul loss
The term loss of soul - In shamanism the term refers to the loss of human part of the life force, soul.
Causes of soul loss in shamanism
The prevailing concept in traditional shamanism is "any illness is a consequence of a lost or stolen soul ...
*
Transmigration
References
External links
10 Cliches of the Body Swap Movie€”Archive of a Spout post at Indiewire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Body Swap
Fantasy tropes
Fictional elements introduced in 1882
Narratology