back story
Fictional character's past
A back story is the history or background of a character, situation, or narrative—events that occurred before the main story begins.
Fiction writers develop back stories to give characters depth and motivation: The villain's back story explained his hatred of the hero.
The term extends beyond fiction to any explanatory context: What's the back story on this merger?
Also spelled backstory.
- contextCircumstances shaping meaning
- originStarting point or source
- pastTime already gone
- tragic pastFormer suffering shaping present
- traumaLasting psychological wound
formative · flashback · secret · prequel · history · personal history · exposition · narrative structure · plot device · subconscious influence · internal conflict · prologue · retcon · coping mechanisms · memory · behavioral patterns · attachment styles · character development
back storyflash-forward
Narrative leap to future
future · present · what happens next · aftermath · epilogue
back storysequel
Continuation of prior work
continuation · aftermath · epilogue · what happens next · denouement