What is foreshadowing? Foreshadowing is a literary device that alludes to a later point in the story. For example, if a character mentions offhandedly that bad things always happen to them in autumn, then the observant reader will be alert when the leaves in the story begin to fall.

Both flashback and foreshadowing are narrative devices that present story events out of temporal order. Flashback describes some past events related to the present; foreshadowing gives allusion (possibly implicit) to some future events.

Also used in films and television shows, flashbacks give a story more depth by revealing details that help readers understand character motives. Flashbacks also add tension and help advance the plot.

A woman is about to get married. As she puts on her veil, she remembers her fiancé three years before, swearing he would make her his wife someday. A tear comes to her eye and she prepares to walk down the aisle. Here, the flashback is the memory of the woman's fiancé three years before.

A good example of both flashback and flashforward is the first scene of La Jetée (1962). As we learn a few minutes later, what we are seeing in that scene is a flashback to the past, since the present of the film's diegesis is a time directly following World War III.

Foreshadowing hints at things yet to come, while flashbacks insert memories of events that have already happened. The former can create a sense of tension or anticipation that keeps the reader intrigued. The latter contributes a sense of context, offering extra information to the ongoing story.

Both flashback and foreshadowing are narrative devices that present story events out of temporal order. Flashback describes some past events related to the present; foreshadowing gives allusion (possibly implicit) to some future events.