flashback

Interjected scene that takes a narrative back in time

Entitynarrative technique cinematic techniqueQ473432

Also known as analepsis · internal analepsis · external analepsis

Instance of: narrative technique
, cinematic technique
Subclass of: scene

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A flashback, more formally known as analepsis, is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story's primary sequence of events to fill in crucial backstory. In the opposite direction, a flashforward reveals events that will occur in the future. Both flashback and flashforward are used to cohere a story, develop a character, or add structure to the narrative. In literature, internal analepsis is a flashback to an earlier point in the narrative; external analepsis is a flashback to a time before the narrative started.

Overview

All data

19 statements · 11% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Opposite of: flashforward
Different from: flashback
callback

On other databases

13 identifiers linking flashback across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

11%

externally sourced

Source last edited October 7, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). flashback (Q473432). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/flashback-Q473432