non-linear narratives
Stories told askew
Non-linear narratives are stories told out of chronological order.
Rather than following events from beginning to end, they might jump between time periods, start at the conclusion and work backward, or weave multiple timelines together.
The technique appears in novels, films, and video games: Pulp Fiction uses a non-linear narrative to connect three interlocking stories.
Non-linear narratives can create mystery, reveal character through contrast, or mirror how memory actually works.
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- time loopsEvents endlessly repeating themselves
- time jumpsNarrative temporal discontinuities
- dream sequencesFictional scenes depicting sleep visions
- flash-forwardNarrative leap to future
postmodern literature · simultaneity · disorientation · stream of consciousness · avant-garde theater · suspense · mystery novels · experimental film · anachronism · temporal distortion · out of order · science fiction · psychological thrillers · Pulp Fiction · Christopher Nolan · ambiguity · plot twist · audience engagement
- experimental poetryfound poetry, fragmentation, parataxis, discontinuity
- postmodernismdeconstruction, metafiction, hyperreality, pastiche, metanarrative