foreshadowing
for-SHAD-oh-ing
/fɔːrˈʃæd.əʊ.ɪŋ/
A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.
Creates psychological expectation and subtler suspense without revealing full details early.
The story behind the word. Composed of Old English fore (before) and sceadewan (to cast a shadow). It compares future events to an approaching object casting a shadow ahead of itself.
Word relationships
- prefiguration: Prefiguration is more formal and academic, whereas foreshadowing is standard literary usage.
- flashback: Foreshadowing points forward to future events, while flashback looks back at past events.
Commonly confused with
- foreboding: Foreboding is a subjective feeling of impending dread, while foreshadowing is an authorial technique.
Word family
- foreshadow (verb): To hint at or indicate beforehand.
Collocations
- subtle foreshadowing
- heavy foreshadowing
- serve as foreshadowing
- clever foreshadowing
Example sentences
- "The gathering storm in the first chapter serves as foreshadowing for the hero's tragic downfall." Literary analysis
Memory hook
A SHADOW arrives BEFORE the person carrying it. Shadow cast before future events.
When not to use
Do not use for direct spoilers; foreshadowing must be subtle or symbolic.
Fun facts
- Chekhov's Gun is a famous principle of foreshadowing: if you introduce a rifle in chapter one, it must go off by chapter three.
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