Anagnorisis is a literary term coined by Aristotle, referring to the sudden recognition of a previously hidden element in a story’s plot. It is often used in tragedy and comedy, and can be found in various forms of fiction. Anagnorisis is not to be confused with epiphany, as it is the culmination of information that has been slowly revealed in advance. Modern storytellers use this device in any genre of fiction, such as JK Rowling’s Harry Potter stories and M. Night Shamalayan’s early films.
Anagnorisis is a literary term for a sudden moment of recognition or revelation. It is the moment in which a previously hidden element of a story’s plot is discovered by a character and often by the audience as well. The term “anagnorisis” was coined by the Greek philosopher Aristotle during his studies on classical Greek drama. It has since been applied to novels, films, or any other form of fiction. In modern times, writers often use it to reveal a mystery involving plot or characters.
Aristotle studied and wrote about most of the sciences known in his time, including aesthetics, the principles of artistic composition. By the time he wrote his influential book Poetics around 335 BC, Greek drama had already been around for at least two centuries. In the Poetics, Aristotle defined many storytelling principles that are as effective today as they were in antiquity. One of these principles was the startling revelation of previously unknown plot elements to the characters and the audience. Aristotle called this anagnorisis, which means “recognition” in Greek.
In classical drama, the anagnorisis often occurs simultaneously with the peripeteia, a sudden reversal of fortune for the central character. This is especially common in tragedy, a dramatic form popular in ancient Greece. The classic example is found in Sophocles’ work Oedipus Rex, in which a famous Greek hero marries a queen and inherits a kingdom after accidentally killing her king. The kingdom falls under a curse because someone has committed an unnatural act: killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus’s realization that he has unwittingly perpetrated this act is the moment in the work of both anagnorisis and peripeteia.
The principle is not limited to tragedy. Comedies often hinge on misunderstandings or mistaken identities that are ultimately cleared up in ways that benefit the main characters. Anagnorisis is not to be confused with epiphany, such a moment of revelation. An epiphany is a sudden realization, unrelated to any previous understanding and often attributed to divine inspiration. Anagnorisis is the culmination of information that has been slowly revealed in advance, often as a way of providing clues to engage the public.
Modern storytellers can use this device in any genre of fiction. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter stories are famous for these moments of revelation, as are M. Night Shamalayan’s early films. Mystery stories, in contrast, sometimes hide the moment the detective unravels the mystery to save this information for a dramatic ending. An exception is the 1997 film LA Confidential, in which a police detective played by Guy Pearce investigates a mass shooting. A casual remark from a fellow officer provides Pearce with a moment of anagnorisis, in which he realizes the extent of the conspiracy he faces.
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