Reverse chronology is a storytelling device where the ending is told first and the narrative progresses towards the beginning. It has been used since ancient times and is still used in modern literature, plays, films, and television series. Renowned playwright Harold Pinter won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his ability to tell stories in reverse chronology. The use of this device can reveal nuances about characters that would not be shown if the story were told in the normal way. The film Memento is a popular example of reverse chronology, where the main character has anterograde amnesia and tries to piece together his past before culminating in the killing of the antagonist, which is the first scene revealed in the film.
The reverse chronology is a literary device similar to the flashback though more comprehensive in its scope. It is a method of storytelling, whether for a novel, play, or other literary form, in which the ending is told first and the narrative progresses towards the beginning of the plot arriving at the physical end of the story. While reverse chronology is an ancient method of storytelling, it is only used in special situations, as it can be difficult to understand or enjoy as a form of entertainment until the production or reading is fully finished.
While the use of non-linear narrative may be rare due to the difficulty of getting it right, some contemporary artists have mastered the form. Renowned English playwright Harold Pinter won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature in part for his ability to tell stories in reverse chronology. His 1978 play Betrayal uses the form of reverse chronology to tell the story of the two main characters, Emma and Jerry, who had an adulterous relationship two years prior to the story’s narration. Through a logical series of scenes that run backwards in time from the beginning of the story, the story is told in a way that reveals nuances about the behavior of the characters that could not be shown if the story were told in the normal way.
Evidence of reverse chronology in storytelling, which is also often referred to as retrograde writing, can be traced back to at least the Ancient Egyptian period, as examples of the form have been discovered in writings in the Egyptian pyramids. Other plays, films, novels, and television series episodes in the modern era from the 1930s to the 21st century have continued to employ the use of the form in various ways. The reverse order can focus on characters who are essentially reminiscent of the past, or it can be a literal reverse view of scenes that is more easily created in a cinematic format than in literature.
Where the form blends both a sense of reminiscence with a literal reversal of the order of the scenes, special reasons must be given for the unusual aspects of the narratology. A popular psychological thriller Memento made in the United States in 2000 uses a main character with anterograde amnesia to tell a story in this way. As the viewer of the film sees the scenes progress in what appears to be a normal way, it is revealed that the main character has a condition where he cannot form or retain new memories and all memory of his past prior to a shooting which started the chain of events for the story is lost. The main character spends the duration of the film trying to piece together his past before it culminates in the killing of the antagonist, which is the first scene revealed in the film, but the last to actually take place in true chronological order.
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