Foreshadowing

Today begins the Hunter’s moon, and with it we introduce the theme of Foreshadowing. We’re turning away from genre-based themes this month to focus on a technique primarily used in narrative art. At its simplest, foreshadowing is a method to hint at what is to come. As such it usually occurs earlier in a work, but it can appear at any moment that itself precedes more art.

Early foreshadowing is helpful to set the tone of a work, identify its genre, and hook the audience. A famous point of view on its role in narrative art comes from Anton Chekov, who argued that all of the elements of a plot should be necessary to the plot. He illustrated it as follows. “One must never place a loaded rifle on stage if it isn’t going to go off.” We often refer to the broader idea, therefore, as Chekov’s gun. The major insight, however, is that foreshadowing is a promise—one that the artist must keep—with their audience.

Taken to its logical extreme, the principle would suggest that everything in a narrative is forward and backward looking, ever self-reflecting and multi-faceted. But how reasonable is it to bind artistic forms and techniques with cold, unrelenting reason? Nevertheless, tastes do differ from person to person and across time. Some readers and viewers enjoy a lot of foreshadowing. Clues about what’s next build interest and suspension. They establish a tension that pulls us close. And we do get terribly distracted.

Others value a less is more approach. Too much foreshadowing can come off as repetitive or as telegraphing plot and character development that were better left to a slower reveal. A particularly facetious approach to foreshadowing lies within the pages of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, an 18th century novel that gave rise to the shaggy dog story: one in which nothing at all seems to happen and the author is very nearly making fun of us all for reading them.

As with any art, as much depends on the goals of the artist wielding the device as it does on their ability to use it effectively. We adopt this theme and provide these prompts hoping to give you an opportunity to practice with this important tool. If your medium of choice is not narrative art, then how might you include foreshadowing? Perhaps your next painting contains hints of what we can expect from you in the future.

Wherever your medium of choice takes you, we hope this month’s prompts inspire you in your work!