FORESHADOWING
AND FLASHBACK
WHAT IS A FLASHBACK?
Flashback is referring to the incidents that happened in the past that are
significant to the current plotline.
Flashback recalls previous incidents and usually interrupts the current
storyline and the chronological order of the events happening in the story.
Therefore, they should be used prudently without creating any confusion.
This technique is frequently seen in movies and novels.
It helps the audience or the readers see certain aspects of the story that
happened in the past yet related to the current situation.
Authors use this device to reveal the background information of the characters
in the story and their motivations.
WHAT IS A FLASHBACK?
A flashback is a literary device that interrupts the
chronological sequence of the plot in order to recall an earlier
happening.
This method is often used in films and novels to share a
memory or a past experience with the audience.
For example, imagine a story where a man is afraid of
heights, there might be a flashback to the incident that made
him afraid of heights.
This literary device is commonly used by authors to provide
background details of the characters.
Flashbacks help the readers understand different motivations
of the characters. They also act as plot structures and create
tension in the story.
Some stories are entirely in the form of flashback.
For example, in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the character Marlow
narrates about a journey he once took up the Congo River.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is also told entirely in flashback from
Scout’s point of view.
“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly
broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being
able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious
about his injury.”
EXAMPLES OF
FLASHBACK
“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly
broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being
able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious
about his injury.”
(To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)
“In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me
some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just
remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the
advantages that you’ve had.”
(The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
WHAT IS
FORESHADOWING?
Through foreshadowing, the audience gets to know about the
future events of the story.
This is done when authors give a faint hint about the
upcoming events of the story in a way that does not destroy
the audience’s interest and curiosity.
This too interrupts the current plotline; therefore, the authors
should make predictions in their work wisely.
Foreshadowing can be used at the beginning of a story, at the
end of a chapter or at the end of a book to give some hint about
the upcoming books in the same series.
The main purpose of foreshadowing is to increase the
excitement of the audience.
Foreshadowing is a figure of speech in which the author
gives hints and clues about the events that are going
to take place in the story.
Authors often use indicative words and phrases as hints
without spoiling the suspense or revealing the story.
However, they may be subtle, and the readers won’t be
able to grasp them in the first reading itself.
Foreshadowing is used by writers to prepare the readers
for some shocking twist in the story and to shift the
mood of the story.
Mystery and suspense writers also use foreshadowing
to strength the sense of mystery in their story.
EXAMPLES OF FORESHADOWING
“By the pricking of my thumb
Something wicked this way comes”
(Macbeth by William Shakespeare)
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN FLASHBACK AND
FORESHADOWING?
The key difference between flashback and
foreshadowing is that flashback is about the events
that happened in the past while foreshadowing is
about the events that are about to happen in the
future in a story.
Both interrupt the plotline of a story, but they should
maintain coherence.
FLASHBACK VS
FORESHADOWING
The key difference between flashback and foreshadowing
is that flashback refers to the past while foreshadowing
refers to the future. Both provide further information
about the characters, their motives and increase the
curiosity, excitement and enthusiasm of the audience
towards the literary work. These devices interrupt the
present storyline and its chronological order of incidents,
yet it is a must to maintain the coherence.
MAIN DIFFERENCE – FLASHBACK VS
FORESHADOWING
Flashback and Foreshadowing are literary devices
that relate to time. Flashback interrupts the
chronological order of the plot to recollect an event
in the past. Foreshadowing gives clues and hints as
to the fate of the characters. The main
difference between flashback and foreshadowing is
that flashback refers to the
past whereas foreshadowing refers to the
future.
