Flashback

Definition: 

• a form of anachrony, commonly referred to as retrospection (Baldick)

• it enables a storyteller to fill in background information about characters and events (Baldick)

• flashback takes place before the story begins, which interrupts the chronological order of the story

Types of flashbacks: 

• dream sequences - when character is asleep and dreams of some events 

• straight breaks - when it is obvious to the reader through the narration of formatting of the text 

• memory flashbacks - character interrupts the narration to tell of the past 

• moments when seeing someone or something, smelling or tasting something, haring something reminds characters´ emotions and brings back memories

• foreshadowing flashback - used for a specific purpose to leave hints for what is to come in the story 

(study.com)

Examples:

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling uses a memory-sharing device called the Pensieve to help Professor Dumbledore prepare Harry for his confrontation with Voldemort. By revisiting key moments from Voldemort's past, Dumbledore gives Harry valuable insights into his enemy's motivations and strategies. 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my head ever since.” This is how the novel The Great Gatsby begins. He uses a flashback in the first scene of the first chapter to start his story. 

Sources: 

Baldick, Chris. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford University Press, 2015.

Study.com, 2022, study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-flashback-in-literature-definition-examples.html.

“What Is a Flashback? Definition and Examples of Flashbacks - 2024 - MasterClass.” MasterClass, 2020, www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-flashback.

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Author of the page: Gabriela Pavelková