In media res
The Latin phrase, now part of everyday English, “in media res,” means “in the middle of things,” and is a literary device that describes a story that begins in the middle of the action/plot. Novels, films, and video games do this. Think middle.
Flashback
A flashback, sometimes called analepsis or backstory, is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story often to recount crucial events that happened before the primary sequence of events, sometimes a character’s involuntary but powerful, recurring memory. Think back.
The two terms are different.
The Latin phrase, now part of everyday English, “in media res,” means “in the middle of things,” and is a literary device that describes a story that begins in the middle of the action/plot. Novels, films, and video games do this. Think middle.
Flashback
A flashback, sometimes called analepsis or backstory, is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story often to recount crucial events that happened before the primary sequence of events, sometimes a character’s involuntary but powerful, recurring memory. Think back.
The two terms are different.
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