#Define exposition in literature how to#

The use of flashbacks in this case is an example of exposition in a nonlinear narrative.

For example, in her dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood uses her narrator's memories to gradually explain how an ultra-conservative sect of Christianity overthrew the United States government and installed a repressive regime. Writers who begin their story in media res (in the middle of the action) often use flashbacks and memories to convey important information about events that occurred before the beginning of the narrative. An epilogue is a section at the end of a work of literature which may contextualize, reflect on, and/or briefly summarize the story's main events, or may give readers information about what happened to characters after the end of the main story.A prologue is a short introduction to a work of literature that provides context and background information for the story that follows, and which may briefly summarize the story's main events.Prologues and epilogues are two tools writers can use to create exposition, providing readers with information that allows them to better understand the story or themes of a work of literature.

Below, we'll take a look at some of the major techniques that writers use to create both direct and indirect exposition. It's helpful to understand the distinction between direct and indirect exposition, but bear in mind that most works of literature use a combination of both direct and indirect exposition to convey important information to the reader. For example, if a narrator mentions that a woman is biting her fingernails and fidgeting with her purse, the reader can infer that the woman feels nervous.

Indirect exposition occurs when the narrator or a character provides details that allow the reader to infer key background information and gradually assemble a fuller understanding of the world of the story.

For example, in the opening chapter of I Capture the Castle by Dodi Smith, the novel's narrator uses direct exposition when she describes her sister as 'nearly twenty-one and very bitter with life.'

Direct exposition occurs when the narrator or a character briefly pauses or delays the action of the story to introduce expository details.

Though writers can use many different techniques to create exposition, it comes in two main forms: direct and indirect exposition. Writers can also build suspense by withholding expository details, and then revealing them later in a story. In non-linear narratives (stories that include flashbacks or move backward and forward in time), writers are more likely to scatter expository details throughout the work. In linear narratives (stories in which a writer describes events in the chronological order in which they occur), writers often include the bulk of the story's exposition near the beginning, then add additional expository details throughout the story-for example, each time a new character, setting, or key idea is introduced. Exposition isn't always quite that easy to spot, but some form of exposition appears in almost every work of literature, and readers typically rely on exposition and background information to give context to the main events of a story.

#Define exposition in literature how to#

Here's how to pronounce exposition: ek-spuh-zih-shun Understanding ExpositionĬlassic fairy tales often use the words 'once upon a time' to introduce expository details, like who the main characters are, where the story is set, and what the major conflict or problem of the story might be. It's important to understand that all literature involves some sort of exposition, and it can be done either well (such that as a reader you almost don't realize it's happening) or badly (such that it lamely messes up the pacing or energy of the story).

Some people use the term 'exposition' as if it's a bad thing, which awkwardly breaks up the flow of a story with chunks of background detail.The word exposition comes from the Latin word exponere, which means to put out, exhibit, or explain.The individual pieces of background information that writers use to create exposition are known as expository details.Writers can introduce exposition into a story in a variety of ways, but it appears across all genres and styles of storytelling.Some additional key details about exposition: Exposition can cover characters and their relationship to one another, the setting or time and place of events, as well as any relevant ideas, details, or historical context. What is exposition? Here’s a quick and simple definition:Įxposition is the description or explanation of background information within a work of literature.