Etymology and Meanings of Literary Device of Foreshadowing
The term, foreshadowing, comprises two different words fore- and shadow. It seems to indicate that an object throws its shadow before it appears in view.
In grammar, it appears as a verb having irregular forms such as foreshadowed and foreshadowing.
Literally, it means a warning, a hint, or a clue about something going to happen in the future such as his belligerence toward me foreshadows his enmity in the future. Some other related terms include foretell, portend, and augur. It often happens or appears at the start of a story or poem or the start of the chapter of a story, or novel.
Definition of Literary Device of Foreshadowing
In literature, it is a term that indicates what is going to happen later in the story. It often happens, appears, or is inserted in the form of clues, or hints. Some of its forms are red herrings, flashforwards, or symbols.
Types of foreshadowing
There are two major types of foreshadowing. It is either direct or indirect.
- Direct Foreshadowing: This type of foreshadowing directly points out the danger such as the danger of sharks for the Marlin in The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway.
- Indirect Foreshadowing: This type of foreshadowing indirectly points toward the danger that may appear real or unfounded such as the danger of animal rebellion that later materializes in Animal Farm, a novella written by George Orwell.
Literary Examples of Foreshadowing
Example # 1
From Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his lady to him one day, “have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?”
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
This is the first passage of Pride and Prejudice, the phenomenal novel by an English writer, Jane Austen. The very first line shows that the novel is bout marriage making and the next few lines clarify that Mr. Bennet has a huge family having a good yet nagging lady. Therefore, there must be something about marriage at his home. It, later, turns out that almost all his daughters are of marriageable age and that Mrs. Bennet is very pressing about their matches. This is a good and appropriate example of a foreshadowing.
Example # 2
From Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Ralph did a surface dive and swam under water with his eyes open; the sandy edge of the pool loomed up like a hillside. He turned over, holding his nose, and a golden light danced and shattered just over his face. Piggy was looking determined and began to take off his shorts.
Presently he was palely and fatly naked. He tiptoed down the sandy side of the pool, and sat there up to his neck in water smiling proudly at Ralph.
The image of Ralph that William Golding has created in his novel, Lord of the Flies, is not only suitable for a leader, but also for a guide. His swimming skill, piggy’s envy, and their friendship show that it is going to be a combination of mind and matter. This is another good example of a foreshadowing.
Example # 3
From Moby-Dick or The Whale by Herman Melville
Once more. Say, you are in the country; in some high land of lakes. Take almost any path you please, and ten to one it carries you down in a dale, and leaves you there by a pool in the stream. There is magic in it. Let the most absent-minded of men be plunged in his deepest reveries—stand that man on his legs, set his feet a-going, and he will infallibly lead you to water, if water there be in all that region.
This description of the sailor shows that he is obsessed with voyages. That is why it seems from those magical lands he mentions that even an absent-minded person would lead another person to water. This shows his obsession with the sea and water which later proves correct. This is a very good foreshadowing used by Herman Melville.
Example # 4
124 was spiteful . Full of a baby’s venom. The women in the house knew it and so did the children. For years each put up with the spite in his own way, but by 1873 Sethe and her daughter Denver were its only victims. The grandmother, Baby Suggs, was dead, and the sons, Howard and Buglar, had run away by the time they were thirteen years old—as soon as merely looking in a mirror shattered it (that was the signal for Buglar); as soon as two tiny hand prints appeared in the cake (that was it for Howard).
These lines show that Sethe is going to face difficult times as Baby Suggs, her old companion, has left her and other men have run away. This foreshadowing used by Toni Morrison has all the necessary elements.
Example # 5
From A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
By using anaphoric lines “It was…,” Dickens has employed a beautiful yet implicit foreshadowing to let the reader see that the times were different across the English Channel and that both of these times were going to show things differently for characters from France and England. This is an apt and yet abstract use of a foreshadowing.
Example # 6
From Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
A SQUAT grey building of only thirty-four stories. Over the main entrance the words, CENTRAL LONDON HATCHERY AND CONDITIONING CENTRE, and, in a shield, the World State’s motto, COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY.
This passage from Brave New World shows the type of society Huxley has presented. It clearly shows that it is a very advanced society with very short and curt shibboleths for the people to follow. Therefore, it must have been a dystopic society. This prediction proves true later in the novel, and shows his skillful use of a foreshadowing.
How to Create a Foreshadowing
- Using conversation related to the event, accident, or incident such as in Pride and Prejudice.
- Use character traits of the characters involved in the event or incident such as in Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Use the title of the book, the story, or the chapter such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
- Use natural settings to announce what is going to happen such as in A Tale of Two Cities.
Benefits of Using Foreshadowing
- It keeps the reader hooked to the text until he finishes.
- It makes the reader enjoy and be relished the story.
- It makes the reader have a sense of improvement in his comprehension of world events.
- It makes the readers aware of new happenings to understand the world around them.
- It makes stories and poems interesting.
- It fills stories and poems with a multiplicity of meanings.
Literary Device of Foreshadowing in Literary Theory
- Although some other theoretical studies have used foreshadowing to predict emotions, emotional responses, and human adjustment such as structural affect theory, foreshadowing is in use in discursive theoretical studies, discursive English studies, post-colonial studies, and narratology.
- Interestingly, two main literary terms/devices, foreshadowing, and flashbacks have been used in an interactive narrative generation on computers. Yet, in theoretical lenses, they become part of progress in discussion, debate, and arguments about narratives.
Suggested Readings
Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory. Manchester University Press, 2020. Print. ‘
Bae, Byung-Chull, and R. Michael Young. “A Use Of Flashback And Foreshadowing For Surprise Arousal In Narrative Using A Plan-Based Approach.” Joint International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2008. Bennett, Andrew, and Nicholas Royle. Literature, Criticism, and Theory. Harlow, UK: Pearson, 2004. Print.
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