Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
With likely origins in oral tradition, the narrative technique of beginning a story in medias res is a stylistic convention of epic poetry, the exemplars in Western literature being the Iliad and the Odyssey (both 7th century BC), by Homer. [3] Likewise, the Mahābhārata (c. 8th century BC – c. 4th century AD) opens in medias res.
In relation to foreshadowing, the literary critic Gary Morson describes its opposite, sideshadowing. [11] Found notably in the epic novels of Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, sideshadowing is the practice of including scenes that turn out to have no relevance to the plot. That, according to Morson, increases the verisimilitude of the fiction ...
A term made of two words that deliberately or coincidentally imply each other's opposite. "terrible beauty" Paradox: A phrase that describes an idea composed of concepts that conflict. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." (A Tale of Two Cities) Parody: Ridicule by overstated imitation, usually humorous. MAD Magazine: Pastiche
Also apophthegm. A terse, pithy saying, akin to a proverb, maxim, or aphorism. aposiopesis A rhetorical device in which speech is broken off abruptly and the sentence is left unfinished. apostrophe A figure of speech in which a speaker breaks off from addressing the audience (e.g., in a play) and directs speech to a third party such as an opposing litigant or some other individual, sometimes ...
In recent years, the term has also taken on the meaning of a plot element that is introduced early in a story, whose significance to the plot does not become clear until later. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] This meaning is separate from Chekhov's original intention with the principle, which relates to narrative conservation and necessity, rather than plot ...
The use of a MacGuffin as a plot device predates the name MacGuffin. The Holy Grail of Arthurian legend has been cited as an early example of a MacGuffin. The Holy Grail is the desired object that is essential to initiate and advance the plot, but the final disposition of the Grail is never revealed, suggesting that the object is not of significance in itself. [8]
A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. [1] Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future. They ...
A story structure, narrative structure, or dramatic structure (also known as a dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of narrative structures worldwide, which have been hypothesized by critics, writers, and scholars over time.