In medias res

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A narrative work beginning in medias res (Classical Latin: [n mdias res], lit. "into the middle things") opens
in the midst of action (cf. ab ovo, ab initio).[1] Often, exposition is bypassed and filled in gradually, either
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 focuses on Hamlet and the revenge itself more so than the motivation, Shakespeare utilizes
in medias res to bypass superfluous exposition.

Works that employ in medias res often, though not always, will subsequently use flashback and nonlinear
narrative for exposition of earlier events in order to fill in the backstory. For example, in Homer's Odyssey, we
first learn about Odysseus's journey when he is held captive on Calypso's island. We then find out, in Books IX
through XII, that the greater part of Odysseus's journey precedes that moment in the narrative. On the other
hand, Homer's Iliad has relatively few 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 In video games
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

First use of the phrase

The Roman lyric poet and satirist Horace (658 BC) first used the terms ab v ("from the egg") and in medis
rs ("into the middle of things") in his Ars poetica ("Poetic Arts", c. 13 BC), wherein lines 147149 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 "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.

Literary history
Probably originated 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 technique features in the Indian Mahbhrata (c. 8th century BC c. 4th
century AD).
The classical-era poet Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro, 7019 BC) continued this literary narrative technique in
the Aeneid, which is part of the Greek literary tradition of imitating Homer.[3] Later works featuring in medias
res include the stories "Sinbad the Sailor" and "The Three Apples" from the One Thousand and One Nights (c.
9th century),[4] the German Nibelungenlied (12th century), the Spanish Cantar de Mio Cid (c. 14th century),
the Italian Divine Comedy (1320) by Dante Alighieri,[5] the Portuguese The Lusiads (1572) by Lus Vaz de
Cames, Jerusalem Delivered (1581) by Torquato Tasso, Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton, and generally
in Modernist literature.[6]

Modern novelists known to extensively employ in medias res in conjunction with flashbacks include William
Faulkner and Toni Morrison.

Cinematic history
It is typical for film noir to begin in medias res; for example, a private detective will enter the plot already in
progress.[7] Crossfire (1947) opens with the murder of Joseph Samuels. As the police investigate the crime, the
story behind the murder is told via flashbacks.[8] 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.[8]

The technique has been used across genres, including dramas such as Through a Glass Darkly (1961),[9] 8
(1963),[9] Raging Bull (1980), and City of God (2002);[10] crime thrillers such as Grievous Bodily Harm
(1988),[11] The Usual Suspects (1995),[12] and Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004);[13] horror films such as Firestarter
(1984);[14] action films such as many in the James Bond franchise;[12][15] and comedies such as Dr.
Strangelove (1964).[9]

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.[16]

Occasionally adaptations of source material may employ in medias res while the original version did not. For
example, the film adaptation of the stage musical Camelot employed in medias res while the original Broadway
version did not (although revivals of the musical have). Stanley Kubrick's 1962 film adaptation of Lolita begins
in medias res although the novel does not. Herman Wouk's stage adaptation of his own novel The Caine Mutiny
begins in medias res as it opens with the court-martial that occupies the final section of the novel, telling the
earlier part of the story through flashbacks in court-room testimony.

In video games
Some story-based video games may begin in medias res by starting near the end of the plot. Examples are Final
Fantasy X and God of War, which opens with a bloody battle at the very end of the story, then returns to the
preceding events using a series of flashbacks.[5]

See also
Reverse chronology
Flashforward

References
1. "In medias res" (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/284369/in-medias-res)
. Encyclopdia Britannica.
Retrieved July 31, 2013.
 2. Horace. Ars poetica (http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/horace/arspoet.shtml)(in Latin). "nec gemino bellum Troianum
orditur ab ovo; / semper ad eventum festinat etin medias res / [...] auditorem rapit"
3. 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. 8694. ISBN 90-04-09530-
6.
5. Israel, David K. "Great Examples of in medias res"(http://mentalfloss.com/article/20618/5-great-examples-medias-res) .
Mental Floss (January 15, 2009). Retrieved 2 July 2017.
6. Forman, Carol (1984).Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy: The Inferno . Barron's Educational Series. p. 24.ISBN 0-7641-
9107-1
7. 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.
8. Mayer, Geoff; McDonnell, Brian (2007).Encyclopedia of Film Noir. ABC-CLIO. pp. 146, 161.ISBN 978-0-313-
33306-4.
9. Miller, William Charles (1980).Screenwriting for Narrative Film and Television. Hastingshouse/Daytrips. p. 66.
ISBN 978-0-8038-6773-4.
10. What is the term, In Medias Res?(http://www.innovateus.net/innopedia/what-term-medias-res)
11. McFarlane, Brian; Mayer, Geoff (1992). New Australian Cinema. Cambridge University Press. p. 100.ISBN 978-0-521-
38768-2.
12. Murfin, Ross C.; Ray, Supryia M. (2009).The Bedford Glossary of Critical and LiteraryTerms. Bedford/St. Martins.
p. 245. ISBN 978-0-230-22330-1.
13. Chan, Kenneth (2009).Remade in Hollywood. Hong Kong University Press. p. 147.ISBN 978-962-209-056-9.
14. Muir, John Kenneth (2007).Horror Films of the 1980s. McFarland. pp. 135, 389.ISBN 978-0-7864-2821-2.
15. Donnelly, Kevin J. (2001). Film Music. Edinburgh University Press. p. 36.ISBN 978-0-7486-1288-8.
16. Glassmeyer, Danielle (2009). "Ridley Scott's Epics: Gender of V iolence". In Detora, Lisa M.wHeroes of Film, Comics
and American Culture. McFarland. pp. 2978.ISBN 978-0-7864-3827-3.

External links
The dictionary definition of in medias res at Wiktionary

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? Look up in, medias, or res

in Wiktionary, the free
title=In_medias_res&oldid=789253492"
dictionary.
Categories: Latin literary phrases Literary concepts Narratology
Narrative techniques

This page was last edited on 6 July 2017, at 09:10.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.