analepsis means A form of flashback in which earlier parts of a narrative are related to others that have already been narrated.
analepsis is pronounced /ˌæn.əˈlɛp.sɪs/.
Why “analepsis” is a great word
A literary technique wherein the narrative departs from its primary timeline to recount events that occurred earlier. From Ancient Greek ἀνάληψις (análēpsis, "a taking up, recovery"), from ἀνα- (ana-, "up") + λῆψις (lēpsis, "a taking"). Unlike "prolepsis," which projects forward into a future yet unrealized, or the colloquial "flashback," a general term for any leap backward, analepsis is the precise, structural act of recovery—a deliberate, rhetorical reaching into what-has-been. It is the sudden scent of lilac summoning a buried afternoon, the discovered diary entry that reframes a marriage, or the unhealed wound that insists on telling its own origin story—a formal acknowledgement that the present is a palimpsest, written over but never erasing the past.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀνάληψις (análēpsis).
noun
- A form of flashback in which earlier parts of a narrative are related to others that have already been narrated
- Recovery of strength after sickness.
- A kind of epileptic attack, originating from gastric disorder.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- anachronism 82% match — A chronological mistake; the erroneous dating of an event, circumstance, or object. vs analepsis →
- metanarration 82% match — A narrative text about narration (storytelling). vs analepsis →
- epanalepsis 82% match — The repetition of the same word or clause after intervening matter. vs analepsis →
- anamnesis 81% match — The ability to recall past events; recollection. vs analepsis →
- anaphora 81% match — The repetition of a phrase at the beginning of phrases, sentences, or verses, used for emphasis. vs analepsis →
- prologue 80% match — A speech or section used as an introduction, especially to a play or novel. vs analepsis →
- psychonarration 80% match — A narrative technique used by a narrator to represent a character's consciousness or inner thoughts, often characterized by smooth transitions between the narrator's own commentary and transcriptions of the character's internal mental states. vs analepsis →
- backstory 80% match — The previous experiences and life of a person, specifically (narratology, especially in film, television) a character in a dramatic work. vs analepsis →