Foreshadowing is a literary device -s.a. loves e.m.b.- in which an author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the story. An example of foreshadowing might be when a character displays a gun or knife early in the story. Merely the appearance of a deadly weapon, even though it is used for an innocuous purpose — such as being cleaned or whittling wood — suggests terrible consequences later on. Lexx is a science fantasy TV series that follows the adventures of a group of mismatched individuals aboard the Lexx, the most powerful destructive force in the two universes from which the show takes its name. ... The Foreshadow, the first of many of His Divine Shadows personal planet-killers The Foreshadow is one of His Divine Shadows predecessor weapons of mass destruction, from the sci-fi television series LEXX. In a similar fashion to the Lexx, the Foreshadow is a planet-killing starship, used... A literary technique or literary device may be used in works of literature in order to produce a specific effect on the reader. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... Look up plot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

A hint that is designed to mislead the audience is referred to as a red herring. A similar device is the flashforward. Unlike a flashforward, a foreshadowing only hints at a possible outcome of the story, without describing it explicitly. However, the difference between these two techniques may often be very vague. In literature, a red herring is a plot device intended to distract the reader from a more important event in the plot, usually a twist ending. ... A flashforward (also sometimes known as flash-forward or flash-ahead) in a narrative occurs when one or more scenes representing an event expected, projected or imagined to occur at a time later than the present depiction (see also Glossary: Flashforward). ...

In this Arthur Rackham illustration, the Rhinemaidens warn Siegfried of a curse, foreshadowing the disasters of Götterdämmerung.

Classically, foreshadowing is a literary device whereby the author plays on common beliefs or causal connections that most viewers or readers will have some direct experience with, thereby causing them to anticipate a specific chain of events. In Romeo and Juliet, both main characters state early on that they would rather die than live apart. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (600x883, 126 KB) Illustration by Arthur Rackham (1867 - 1939). ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (600x883, 126 KB) Illustration by Arthur Rackham (1867 - 1939). ... An illustration from Alices Adventures in Wonderland Arthur Rackham (September 19, 1867 – September 6, 1939) was a prolific English book illustrator. ... The Rhinemaidens The Rhinemaidens (de: Rheintöchter) are protagonists in the four-part Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner. ... Siegfried could refer to: The opera by Richard Wagner; see Siegfried (opera). ...   (Twilight of the Gods – see Notes) is the last of the four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner. ... Romeo and Juliet in the famous balcony scene by Ford Madox Brown For other uses, see Romeo and Juliet (disambiguation). ...

In modern use, it is usually more subtle, often working on a symbolic level. For example, if a character must break up a schoolyard fight among some boys, it might symbolically foreshadow the family squabbles that will become the central conflict of the story. Other times, it is seemingly inconsequential, with the goal of having the audience be surprised by the story's climax and yet find it justified. If a character learns that a certain man was a regular at the diner where her mother worked many years before, it helps to justify the events later in which she learns that the man is her biological father.

Foreshadowing can be carried out by characters predicting the future.^[1] This may range from a woman predicting that her son will come to a bad end if he continues on his way, to a character with the explicit ability to foresee the future prophesying an event. Similarly, omens, such as breaking a mirror, can be used to foreshadow bad luck. Northrop Frye, in his Anatomy of Criticism, observed that such use of omens and foretelling are plot devices, independent of actual belief in foretelling for both writer and audience.^[2] Such predictions can, like other hints, act as red herrings; even explicit foretelling may, by a quibble, come true in an unexpected manner. Herman Northrop Frye, CC, MA, D.Litt. ... Northrop Fryes Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays (Princeton University Press, 1957) attempts to formulate an overall view of the scope, theory, principles, and techniques of literary criticism derived exclusively from literature. ... A quibble is a common plot device, used to fulfil the exact verbal conditions of an agreement in order to avoid the intended meaning. ...

If foreshadowing is not done carefully, the common experiences of life can make the foreshadowing too obvious and allow the audience to predict the outcome of the story. Example: a character behaves in an odd and erratic fashion and complains continuously of a headache, then later is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Foreshadowing can also be used dishonestly in a mystery, where a series of events which points to a conclusion is later found to be composed of unlikely coincidences which have been "dishonestly" added to the story by the author in an artificial way, with the sole purpose of drawing the audience into an incorrect expectation. In such cases, the audience feels manipulated, and the story may be less satisfying. A headache (cephalalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ...

If foreshadowing is done in a skillful or "honest" way in a mystery, however, many events which foreshadow the truth also work naturally at the same time as red-herrings at a more simple level, to lead the audience to a false conclusion. An example occurs in the film The Sixth Sense, in which scenes depicting the estrangement and lack of communication which occurs in the psychologist's marriage, and his alienation from the world because of his problems, are later seen as clues of much darker significance (so much so, that some viewers were led to see the film twice, in disbelief at how effectively they were misled by character interactions which could be interpreted in two completely different ways). For the ability sometimes referred to as sixth sense, see Extra-sensory perception. ...

Another example is in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl which at the beginning shows Elizabeth Swann as a child. She was on a ship and looking out to the ocean singing Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) . This signified that there was going to be a terrible event in the movie that would involve pirates. Elizabeth Turner is a fictional character in the Walt Disney Pictures Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise. ... Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me) (1967) is the theme song for the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at Disney theme parks. ...

Yet another example is in Lemony Snicket's book series called A Series Of Unfortunate Events,in the last picture of each book,a sign or symble is hidden in it foreshadowing the next book.For example,in the last picture in the second book (The Reptile Rooom),one man is wearing a shirt that says 'Lake Lacrymose',the setting of the third book.

See also

Had I but known The phrase had I but known is a rather obvious form of foreshadowing that hints at some looming disaster in which the first person narrator laments his or her course of action which precipitates some or other unfortunate series of action. ...

References