What is the Difference Between Flash Forward and Foreshadowing

The main difference between flash forward and foreshadowing is that in flash forward, the plot jumps ahead to the future of the narrative whereas, in foreshadowing, the author drops subtle hints and clues about the plot developments to come later in the story.

Both flash forward and foreshadowing are literary devices that indicate what is going to happen in a story. However, flash forward directly takes the readers or viewers to an action that happens in the future while foreshadowing includes subtle clues about what’s going to happen in the story.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Flash Forward 
     – Definition, Characteristics, Examples
2. What is Foreshadowing
     – Definition, Characteristics, Examples
3. What is the Difference Between Flash Forward and Foreshadowing
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Flash Forward, Foreshadowing

What is Flash Forward

Flash forward, also known as prolepsis, is a literary device in which the action or plot jumps ahead to the future of the narrative. What happens here is that a scene interrupts the narrative and takes the narrative forward in time from the current time. Generally, a flash-forward depicts an imagined or expected events in the future, connected to the main plot. However, these events may not necessarily take place in the future. Flash forward is the opposite of flashback, which jumps back to the past events.

A famous example of flash-forward is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, where the protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge sees the future following his death. Although not as common as a flashback, authors use flash forward to grab the interest of the readers. Readers especially show an interest in the current events of the narrative in order to see how the plot develops towards the future that has already been shown through the flash forward.

What is Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary device in which the writer gives subtle hints 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.

Generally, 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 strengthen the sense of mystery in their story.

The following phrases and clauses are some examples of foreshadowing from literature.

“Go ask his name.—If he be married.
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.”

– Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

Just as this dialogue indicates, Juliet’s wedding bed turns out to be her grave since she falls in love with her family’s enemy, Romeo and die with him.

Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’ words to Tiresius “You’ve lost your power, stone-blind, stone-deaf – senses, eyes blind as stone!” turns out to be an example of foreshadowing as Oedipus loses all his power and becomes blind and deaf at the end.

Difference Between Flash Forward and Foreshadowing

Definition

Flash forward is a literary device in which the action or plot jumps ahead to the future of the narrative. But, foreshadowing is a literary device in which the writer gives subtle hints about the events that are going to take place in the story.

Future

While flash forward directly takes the readers or viewers to an action that happens in the future, foreshadowing includes subtle clues about what’s going to happen in the story.

Ability to Detect

It’s possible to detect flash forward in the first reading itself; however, it’s not possible to detect techniques of foreshadowing in the first reading.

Conclusion

In brief, flash forward and foreshadowing are literary devices that indicate what is going to happen in a story. The main difference between flash forward and foreshadowing is that in flash forward, the plot jumps ahead to the future of the narrative whereas, in foreshadowing, the author drops subtle hints and clues about the plot developments to come later in the story.

Reference:

1. “Flash-Forward – Examples and Definition of Flash-Forward.” Literary Devices, 12 Jan. 2018, Available here.
2, “Foreshadowing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Sept. 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Tales from Shakspeare (1831) p289 Romeo and Juliet” By William Harvey – Internet Archive identifier (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Charles Dickens-A Christmas Carol-Title page-First edition 1843” By John Leech –  (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia