How Plot Orders Events: Poetry - AP English Literature and Composition

A deliberate gap where time passes without narrated events. Omits unimportant events to maintain narrative momentum.

In medias res with backstory supplied through flashback/analepsis. Combines immediate engagement with gradual revelation.

Parallel plot lines (intercut dual narrative). Builds tension through converging storylines.

A deliberate omission that skips over a span of story time. Compresses time by leaving gaps in the narrative.

Story is event sequence; plot is how the text arranges it. Distinguishes actual events from their textual presentation.

The narrative begins in the middle of the action, then fills in earlier events. Creates immediate engagement by starting mid-conflict.

Ellipsis. Time jump omits twenty years of story events.

A shift to future events; a formal term for flashforward. Greek term emphasizing the forward temporal leap.

Many events are rapidly summarized to condense time. Accelerates pacing by condensing extended time periods.

A present detail that hints at a future event or outcome. Creates anticipation by planting clues about what's coming.

Prolepsis (flashforward) followed by retrospective narration. Creates dramatic irony as readers know the outcome.

Time ellipses with summary to compress narrative time. Focuses on key moments while acknowledging passage of time.

Circular structure (return-to-beginning plot). Emphasizes cyclical themes or character transformation.

The narrative begins in the middle of the action, then fills in earlier events. Latin for "into the middle of things"; hooks readers immediately.

An outer story encloses and organizes an inner story or stories. Creates layers through nested storytelling structure.

Two storylines are intercut to develop connections or contrasts. Alternating perspectives create thematic or causal links.

Events are presented out of time sequence through shifts in time. Disrupts linear time through flashbacks, flashforwards, or rearrangement.

Events are presented backward from later outcomes to earlier causes. Reveals causation by working from effect back to cause.

A shift to earlier events; a formal term for flashback. Greek term emphasizing the backward temporal movement.

An interruption that moves to an earlier event to supply context. Temporarily pauses present action to reveal past information.

A late revelation that reinterprets earlier events or assumptions. Subverts expectations by reframing prior understanding.

The audience knows crucial information before a character does. Plot reveals information to readers before characters.

Flashback. Past events interrupt present narrative sequence.

Event presentation at near real-time pace with detailed action. Slows pace to match story time with reading time.

Events are presented out of story-time sequence for effect. Disrupts linear time to create emphasis or reveal meaning.

Condensed narration that covers multiple events quickly. Accelerates pace by compressing extended time periods.

Foreshadowing. Early clues prepare readers for later developments.

Suspense. Delayed revelation creates anticipation and tension.

An outer story encloses and contextualizes an inner story. Creates layers of meaning through nested narratives.