The definition of a flashback

A flashback is a literary device that interrupts the chronological order of events or scenes in a narrative to insert a past scene or event in the narrative. A flashback takes the audience from the present back to the past. The use of flashbacks in narratives has gained popularity over the years. Writers have discovered the vast opportunities presented by the use of flashbacks. It is one way to create intrigue, provide insight into the story, and even make it quite complex. A flashback is one of the few literary devices whose use is limited to writers of fiction.

An example of the use of a flashback

Think about this scenario. Two writers write a story about World War II. The first writer is very straightforward in his storytelling and employs the use of a few literary tools to create intrigue for his audience and that’s all. I can imagine him writing his story like this:

“Lieutenant Vernon, on his first day at the training camp of the British army, found the military activities more fun than scary, unlike most of his counterparts. But no one would find this surprising. Vernon was many things at the same time, he was computer literate and an excellent dancer. Vernon also seemed to be built for the army, for war. He had a gigantic athlete body, an unwavering psyche, and the courage of a sleuth of bears. Soon Lieutenant Vernon’s team was deployed to the battlefield. The enemy was fierce and deadly. By the time they were forcing the enemy to retreat, most of the British soldiers were MIA. However, the team could not help but acknowledge that were it not for Vernon’s genius ideas in the field, they would all be dead.”

Here’s another version of the same story:

“Lieutenant Vernon stopped at the entrance of the British army camp. He looked at the box in his hands. In it were two British military uniforms, a brown pamphlet, and what he thought was a name tag. Suddenly he was hit hard with memories of his days at Pittsburg military college. He could remember seeing his name at the top of the list after every exam in his computer classes, and every other class. This came effortlessly, it was not like there had been anyone smart enough to beat Vernon in the whole of his academic life anyway. He smiled at the thought of a comment his mother had made about him: “Your father was strong, intelligent, and the bravest man I knew, and you are a chip off the old block.” He thought about his first experience with a gun at the college, the trainer at the shooting range had been very pleased with his skills. He wondered what he loved most about the place. Was it the gym? The training sessions? The morning runs, or the dancing classes? The loud blast of a cannon brought him back to his senses. He thought he loved the camp and was ready for war.”

Although the storyline can be understood, the writer in the first story does not provide the reader with a chance to fully understand the character, Vernon. What he does is state the character’s traits. This usually makes the reader lack a connection to the characters. The reader will therefore not understand most of the character's decisions, ideas, and actions.

With the use of a flashback in the second story, the reader has background knowledge about the character. The writer provides insightful details about Vernon’s traits, providing the reader with a chance to connect with the character.

Famous TV shows (and novels) such as The Harry Potter series, The Vampire Diaries, and many more use flashbacks to make their audience understand more about the traits of various characters. For example in The Harry Potter series, we are shown how Harry Potter survives Lord Voldemort’s attempt to take his life through flashbacks, which are triggered by various sources.

The uses of flashbacks

To provide intrigue

The writer can choose to tell his story in a straightforward approach. But that will not be as catchy as introducing the element of a flashback. A flashback will allow the writer to tell the narrative in a nonlinear manner, and the writer can also introduce tension and suspense with this. This is usually more interesting and will get the reader hooked on the story.

To enhance understanding

A flashback provides the reader with insights about present elements in the story. The reader gets to understand why characters make certain decisions, why they embrace certain ideas, or why there are certain conflicts in the story.

To develop characters

A writer can use a flashback to develop a character. My first example of the character Vernon demonstrates this better. The reader could understand Vernon’s motivations, psyche, and behaviors from the insights in Vernon’s flashback.

Sources

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-flashback
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashback_(psychology)