The classic instance is Oedipus' recognition, in Oedipus Tyrannus, that he himself has killed his own father Laius, married his mother Jocasta, and brought the plage upone Thebes. Oxford University Press, 2001) defines the term as follows:Īnagnorisis (…) the Greek word for 'recognition' or 'discovery', used by Aristotle in his Poetics to denote the turning point in a drama at which a character (usually the protagonist) recognised the true state of affairs, having previously been in error or ignorance. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms by Chris Baldick (Second edition. The closest literary term for this is most likely anagnorisis. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story, or a chapter, and it helps the reader develop expectations about the upcoming events. Chekhov's advice was not necessarily to conceal importance, but to just not spend time on things that are not important.Ī literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. The necklace was essential to the story, but its introduction downplayed its importance. The term has come to mean "an insignificant object that later turns out to be important." For example, a character may find a mysterious necklace that turns out to be the power source to the Doomsday Device, but at the time of finding the object it does not seem important. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there." Source: WikipediaĪlthough originally defined as a general "dramatic principle", today "Chekhov's gun" is often used to denote a specific story element: If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. "Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. Elements should not appear to make "false promises" by never coming into play. "Chekhov's gun" was originally defined asĪ dramatic principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary, and irrelevant elements should be removed. In the above example, you could say the eventual solution of the problem had been foreshadowed throughout the story, or that it was set up as a Chekhov's gun. The terms Chekhov's gun and foreshadowing may fit the bill. There are other stories that employ this plot device much more dexterously and subtly (but I can't think of them). He always happened to get locked in a room containing steel wire, metal tubes, a radio, a pair of pliers, a chemistry set, and a canister of black powder. Sadly, "MacGyver" was rather hokey and contrived. MacGyver always saves the day by putting together the ordinary objects he finds around him. The American TV series "MacGyver" is a corny example of this. If done skillfully, it surprises and delights the audience.Īs you can see, I don't mean "diabolus ex machina" (where the unexpected event is misfortunate rather than fortunate), but I want to know what it is called where the ending doesn't rely on unheralded external forces and only involves a (perhaps very clever) assembly of elements already present in the story. I'm wondering, what is the opposite of this plot device?Īs in, all the pieces which are needed to resolve the problem have been lying in plain view from the beginning of the story, but it is only at the climax that the protagonist puts the pieces together in an unexpected way to solve the problem. He's finished for sure! Just then, a car swerves out of nowhere and hits the villain." For example: "The villain has our hero backed in a corner with no way out. Deus ex machina is a plot device in which a seemingly unsolvable problem is resolved by a sudden and unexpected external event.
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