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In medias res

January 01, 1970

For other uses, see In Medias Res (disambiguation).

A narrative work beginning in medias res (Classical Latin: [ɪn ˈmɛdɪ.aːs ˈreːs], lit. "into the middle of things") opens in the midst of the plot (cf. ab ovo, ab initio).[1] Often, exposition is bypassed and filled in gradually, through dialogue, flashbacks or description of past events. For example, Hamlet begins after the death of Hamlet's father. Characters make reference to King Hamlet's death without the plot's first establishment of said fact. Since the play is about Hamlet and the revenge more so than the motivation, Shakespeare uses in medias res to bypass superfluous exposition.

Works that employ in medias res often later use flashback and nonlinear narrative for exposition to fill in the backstory. In Homer's Odyssey, the reader first learns about Odysseus's journey when he is held captive on Calypso's island. The reader then finds out, in Books IX through XII, that the greater part of Odysseus's journey precedes that moment in the narrative. In Homer's Iliad there are fewer flashbacks, although it opens in the thick of the Trojan War.

First use of the phrase edit

The Roman lyric poet and satirist Horace (65–8 BC) first used the terms ab ōvō ("from the egg") and in mediās rēs ("into the middle of things") in his Ars Poetica ("Poetic Arts", c. 13 BC), wherein lines 147–149 describe the ideal epic poet:[2]

Nor does he begin the Trojan War from the egg, but always he hurries to the action, and snatches the listener into the middle of things. . . .

The word "egg" reference is to the mythological origin of the Trojan War in the birth of Helen and Clytemnestra from the double egg laid by Leda following her seduction by Zeus in the guise of a swan. Compare the Iliad, which begins nine years after the start of the Trojan War, rather than at its beginning.

Literary history edit

With likely origins in oral tradition, the narrative technique of beginning a story in medias res is a stylistic convention of epic poetry, the exemplars in Western literature being the Iliad and the Odyssey (both 7th century BC), by Homer.[3] Likewise, the Mahābhārata (c. 8th century BC – c. 4th century AD) opens in medias res.

The classical-era poet Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro, 70–19 BC) continued this literary narrative technique in the Aeneid, which is part of the Roman literary tradition of imitating Homer.[3] Later works starting in medias res include the story "The Three Apples" from the One Thousand and One Nights (c. 9th century),[4] the Italian Divine Comedy (1320) by Dante Alighieri,[5][6] the German Nibelungenlied (12th century),[citation needed] the Spanish Cantar de Mio Cid (c. 14th century),[7] the Portuguese The Lusiads (1572) by Luís de Camões,[8] Jerusalem Delivered (1581) by Torquato Tasso,[citation needed] Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton,[9] and generally in Modernist literature.

Modern novelists using in medias res with flashbacks include William Faulkner and Toni Morrison.

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" is written in medias res.[10]

Cinematic history edit

It is typical for film noir to begin in medias res; for example, a private detective will enter the plot already in progress.[11] Crossfire (1947) opens with the murder of Joseph Samuels. As the police investigate the crime, the story behind the murder is told via flashbacks.[12] Dead Reckoning (1947) opens with Humphrey Bogart as Rip Murdock on the run and attempting to hide in a Catholic church. Inside, the backstory is told in flashback as Murdock explains his situation to a priest.[12]

The technique has been used across genres, including dramas such as Through a Glass Darkly (1961),[13] 8½ (1963),[13] Raging Bull (1980), and City of God (2002);[14] crime thrillers such as No Way Out (1987), Grievous Bodily Harm (1988),[15] The Usual Suspects (1995),[16] and Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004);[17] horror films such as Firestarter (1984);[18] action films such as many in the James Bond franchise;[16][19] and comedies such as Dr. Strangelove (1964).[13] Some have argued that Star Wars takes advantage of this technique because its first-released film, A New Hope, is the fourth episode of a nine-part epic.[20]

Superhero films with a satirical edge such as Deadpool (2016) and Birds of Prey (2020) have utilized in medias res to frame their stories.[21]

Animated films such as Grave of the Fireflies (1988), The Emperor's New Groove (2000), Hoodwinked! (2005), Happily N'Ever After (2006), Megamind (2010), and The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) have opening scenes in medias res, with a brief but significant scene that foreshadows the events that occurred earlier. This scene is then seen again afterwards (although in a different way than how it was shown at the beginning). Another animated film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), starts in medias res with supporting character Clopin Trouillefou telling the story to a group of children some time after the events of the film.

Many war films, such as The Thin Red Line (1998), also begin in medias res, with the protagonists already actively in combat and no prior domestic scenes leading up to the film's events.[22]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "In medias res". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  2. ^ Horace. Ars poetica (in Latin). nec gemino bellum Troianum orditur ab ovo; / semper ad eventum festinat et in medias res / [...] auditorem rapit
  3. ^ a b Murray, Christopher John (2004). Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760-1850. Taylor & Francis. p. 319. ISBN 1-57958-422-5
  4. ^ Pinault, David (1992). Story-Telling Techniques in the Arabian Nights. Brill Publishers. pp. 86–94. ISBN 90-04-09530-6.
  5. ^ Forman, Carol (1984). Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy: The Inferno. Barron's Educational Series. p. 24. ISBN 0-7641-9107-1
  6. ^ P. Raffa, Guy (15 May 2009). The Complete Danteworlds: A Reader's Guide to the Divine Comedy. University Of Chicago Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0226702704.
  7. ^ Leaños, Jaime (2018). "El Cid redentor". Rocky Mountain Review. 72 (2): 280-299. doi:10.1353/rmr.2018.0023. S2CID 166420522.
  8. ^ Dixon, Paul B. (1985). "History as Prophecy in Camões's "Os Lusíadas"". Luso-Brazilian Review. 22 (2): 145–150. JSTOR 3513451.
  9. ^ Kimaid, Michael (2015). Modernity, Metatheory, and the Temporal-Spatial Divide: From Mythos to Techne. Taylor & Francis. p. 132. ISBN 9781317565437.
  10. ^ Attolino, Paolo (2018). "Chapter Ten: The Tell-Tale Heart… of Mine: Poe Told by Stewart Copeland". In Amendola, Alfonso; Barone, Linda (eds.). Edgar Allan Poe across disciplines, genres and languages. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781527506985.
  11. ^ Knight, Deborah (2007). Conard, Mark T.; Porfirio, Robert (eds.). The Philosophy of Film Noir. University Press of Kentucky. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-8131-9181-2.
  12. ^ a b Mayer, Geoff; McDonnell, Brian (2007). Encyclopedia of Film Noir. ABC-CLIO. pp. 146, 161. ISBN 978-0-313-33306-4.
  13. ^ a b c Miller, William Charles (1980). Screenwriting for Narrative Film and Television. Hastingshouse/Daytrips. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-8038-6773-4.
  14. ^ . Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  15. ^ McFarlane, Brian; Mayer, Geoff (1992). New Australian Cinema. Cambridge University Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-521-38768-2.
  16. ^ a b Murfin, Ross C.; Ray, Supryia M. (2009). The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Bedford/St. Martins. p. 245. ISBN 978-0-230-22330-1.
  17. ^ Chan, Kenneth (2009). Remade in Hollywood. Hong Kong University Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-962-209-056-9.
  18. ^ Muir, John Kenneth (2007). Horror Films of the 1980s. McFarland. pp. 135, 389. ISBN 978-0-7864-2821-2.
  19. ^ Donnelly, Kevin J. (2001). Film Music. Edinburgh University Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-7486-1288-8.
  20. ^ Danesi, Marcel (2008). "Chapter 6, Cinema and Video". Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives. United States: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-7425-5547-1. Retrieved July 25, 2020 – via Google Books.
  21. ^ "Film Review: Deadpool". Red Fence. 30 May 2016.
  22. ^ Glassmeyer, Danielle (2009). "Ridley Scott's Epics: Gender of Violence". In Detora, Lisa M. (ed.). wHeroes of Film, Comics and American Culture. McFarland. pp. 297–8. ISBN 978-0-7864-3827-3.

External links edit

  •   The dictionary definition of in medias res at Wiktionary
 
Look up in, medias, or res in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

January 01, 1970
medias, other, uses, medias, disambiguation, narrative, work, beginning, medias, classical, latin, ˈmɛdɪ, aːs, ˈreːs, into, middle, things, opens, midst, plot, initio, often, exposition, bypassed, filled, gradually, through, dialogue, flashbacks, description, . For other uses see In Medias Res disambiguation A narrative work beginning in medias res Classical Latin ɪn ˈmɛdɪ aːs ˈreːs lit into the middle of things opens in the midst of the plot cf ab ovo ab initio 1 Often exposition is bypassed and filled in gradually through dialogue flashbacks or description of past events For example Hamlet begins after the death of Hamlet s father Characters make reference to King Hamlet s death without the plot s first establishment of said fact Since the play is about Hamlet and the revenge more so than the motivation Shakespeare uses in medias res to bypass superfluous exposition Works that employ in medias res often later use flashback and nonlinear narrative for exposition to fill in the backstory In Homer s Odyssey the reader first learns about Odysseus s journey when he is held captive on Calypso s island The reader then finds out in Books IX through XII that the greater part of Odysseus s journey precedes that moment in the narrative In Homer s Iliad there are fewer flashbacks although it opens in the thick of the Trojan War Contents 1 First use of the phrase 2 Literary history 3 Cinematic history 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksFirst use of the phrase editThe Roman lyric poet and satirist Horace 65 8 BC first used the terms ab ōvō from the egg and in medias res into the middle of things in his Ars Poetica Poetic Arts c 13 BC wherein lines 147 149 describe the ideal epic poet 2 Nor does he begin the Trojan War from the egg but always he hurries to the action and snatches the listener into the middle of things The word egg reference is to the mythological origin of the Trojan War in the birth of Helen and Clytemnestra from the double egg laid by Leda following her seduction by Zeus in the guise of a swan Compare the Iliad which begins nine years after the start of the Trojan War rather than at its beginning Literary history editWith likely origins in oral tradition the narrative technique of beginning a story in medias res is a stylistic convention of epic poetry the exemplars in Western literature being the Iliad and the Odyssey both 7th century BC by Homer 3 Likewise the Mahabharata c 8th century BC c 4th century AD opens in medias res The classical era poet Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro 70 19 BC continued this literary narrative technique in the Aeneid which is part of the Roman literary tradition of imitating Homer 3 Later works starting in medias res include the story The Three Apples from the One Thousand and One Nights c 9th century 4 the Italian Divine Comedy 1320 by Dante Alighieri 5 6 the German Nibelungenlied 12th century citation needed the Spanish Cantar de Mio Cid c 14th century 7 the Portuguese The Lusiads 1572 by Luis de Camoes 8 Jerusalem Delivered 1581 by Torquato Tasso citation needed Paradise Lost 1667 by John Milton 9 and generally in Modernist literature Modern novelists using in medias res with flashbacks include William Faulkner and Toni Morrison Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart is written in medias res 10 Cinematic history editIt is typical for film noir to begin in medias res for example a private detective will enter the plot already in progress 11 Crossfire 1947 opens with the murder of Joseph Samuels As the police investigate the crime the story behind the murder is told via flashbacks 12 Dead Reckoning 1947 opens with Humphrey Bogart as Rip Murdock on the run and attempting to hide in a Catholic church Inside the backstory is told in flashback as Murdock explains his situation to a priest 12 The technique has been used across genres including dramas such as Through a Glass Darkly 1961 13 8 1963 13 Raging Bull 1980 and City of God 2002 14 crime thrillers such as No Way Out 1987 Grievous Bodily Harm 1988 15 The Usual Suspects 1995 16 and Kill Bill Volume 2 2004 17 horror films such as Firestarter 1984 18 action films such as many in the James Bond franchise 16 19 and comedies such as Dr Strangelove 1964 13 Some have argued that Star Wars takes advantage of this technique because its first released film A New Hope is the fourth episode of a nine part epic 20 Superhero films with a satirical edge such as Deadpool 2016 and Birds of Prey 2020 have utilized in medias res to frame their stories 21 Animated films such as Grave of the Fireflies 1988 The Emperor s New Groove 2000 Hoodwinked 2005 Happily N Ever After 2006 Megamind 2010 and The Mitchells vs the Machines 2021 have opening scenes in medias res with a brief but significant scene that foreshadows the events that occurred earlier This scene is then seen again afterwards although in a different way than how it was shown at the beginning Another animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996 starts in medias res with supporting character Clopin Trouillefou telling the story to a group of children some time after the events of the film Many war films such as The Thin Red Line 1998 also begin in medias res with the protagonists already actively in combat and no prior domestic scenes leading up to the film s events 22 See also editCold open Flashforward Reverse chronologyReferences edit In medias res Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved July 31 2013 Horace Ars poetica in Latin nec gemino bellum Troianum orditur ab ovo semper ad eventum festinat et in medias res auditorem rapit a b Murray Christopher John 2004 Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era 1760 1850 Taylor amp Francis p 319 ISBN 1 57958 422 5 Pinault David 1992 Story Telling Techniques in the Arabian Nights Brill Publishers pp 86 94 ISBN 90 04 09530 6 Forman Carol 1984 Dante Alighieri s Divine Comedy The Inferno Barron s Educational Series p 24 ISBN 0 7641 9107 1 P Raffa Guy 15 May 2009 The Complete Danteworlds A Reader s Guide to the Divine Comedy University Of Chicago Press p 12 ISBN 978 0226702704 Leanos Jaime 2018 El Cid redentor Rocky Mountain Review 72 2 280 299 doi 10 1353 rmr 2018 0023 S2CID 166420522 Dixon Paul B 1985 History as Prophecy in Camoes s Os Lusiadas Luso Brazilian Review 22 2 145 150 JSTOR 3513451 Kimaid Michael 2015 Modernity Metatheory and the Temporal Spatial Divide From Mythos to Techne Taylor amp Francis p 132 ISBN 9781317565437 Attolino Paolo 2018 Chapter Ten The Tell Tale Heart of Mine Poe Told by Stewart Copeland In Amendola Alfonso Barone Linda eds Edgar Allan Poe across disciplines genres and languages Newcastle upon Tyne UK Cambridge Scholars Publishing ISBN 9781527506985 Knight Deborah 2007 Conard Mark T Porfirio Robert eds The Philosophy of Film Noir University Press of Kentucky p 208 ISBN 978 0 8131 9181 2 a b Mayer Geoff McDonnell Brian 2007 Encyclopedia of Film Noir ABC CLIO pp 146 161 ISBN 978 0 313 33306 4 a b c Miller William Charles 1980 Screenwriting for Narrative Film and Television Hastingshouse Daytrips p 66 ISBN 978 0 8038 6773 4 What is the term In Medias Res Archived from the original on 2017 11 07 Retrieved 2011 11 01 McFarlane Brian Mayer Geoff 1992 New Australian Cinema Cambridge University Press p 100 ISBN 978 0 521 38768 2 a b Murfin Ross C Ray Supryia M 2009 The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms Bedford St Martins p 245 ISBN 978 0 230 22330 1 Chan Kenneth 2009 Remade in Hollywood Hong Kong University Press p 147 ISBN 978 962 209 056 9 Muir John Kenneth 2007 Horror Films of the 1980s McFarland pp 135 389 ISBN 978 0 7864 2821 2 Donnelly Kevin J 2001 Film Music Edinburgh University Press p 36 ISBN 978 0 7486 1288 8 Danesi Marcel 2008 Chapter 6 Cinema and Video Popular Culture Introductory Perspectives United States Rowman amp Littlefield p 177 ISBN 978 0 7425 5547 1 Retrieved July 25 2020 via Google Books Film Review Deadpool Red Fence 30 May 2016 Glassmeyer Danielle 2009 Ridley Scott s Epics Gender of Violence In Detora Lisa M ed wHeroes of Film Comics and American Culture McFarland pp 297 8 ISBN 978 0 7864 3827 3 External links edit nbsp The dictionary definition of in medias res at Wiktionary nbsp Look up in medias or res in Wiktionary the free dictionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title In medias res amp oldid 1208620395, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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