A prolepsy, also known as a flashforward, is a narrative device that jumps forward to future events to provide information or show scenes outside the story’s timeline. It can be similar to foreshadowing but is more abrupt. Prolepsis can also refer to a rhetorical technique used in debates to present and refute elements of an opponent’s argument before they do.
A prolepsy within a narrative is typically a moment where the story jumps forward to future events as a way of showing what is to come. This is often done to provide the audience with information or to show scenes that would otherwise not be depicted, as they often occur outside the story’s timeline. The term can sometimes be used synonymously with the idea of foreshadowing, although this is generally seen as a more subtle concept. A prolepsy can also be a rhetorical device used in debate, in which someone presents a point against their argument and then provides evidence to discredit it.
Also called a “flashforward,” a prolepsy within a story is basically a time jump to future events within the story world. This is different from the natural forward plot progression because it is a single event that is often sudden and of fairly short duration. A television show, for example, might have a five-minute prolepsy where the audience is shown events that happen 10 years after the events of the show. Those things depicted in this kind of leap are usually actions that will not be shown in the natural course of the narrative.
In some contexts, a prolepsy can be seen as similar to foreshadowing or used to accomplish the same task, although it is often much more abrupt. Foreshadowing is typically a hint of events yet to come in a story, usually those that will happen within the narrative. If a character is about to die by the end of a story, events may be shown that hint or suggest this to the audience. A prolepsy can be used in a similar way, showing events that will happen after the narrative, to suggest things that must logically happen beforehand.
The term “prolepsis” can also be used as a synonym for “procatalepsis” which is a rhetorical strategy often used in debates or discussions. In this context, it refers to a technique whereby someone presents an argument against their point, in order to refute it. A person who advocates gun control, for example, can come up with a statistic about police response times and then present evidence to indicate that it has no bearing on the right to use a firearm. This type of prolepsis is a popular way to alienate opponents during a debate, as it allows someone to present and refute elements of their argument before they do.
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