Explanation
An anticipatory reference in a narrative to a future event. In the atlas, the term is not treated in isolation: it complements the existing concept of analepsis as a temporal counter-movement. This reveals the distinctions the form enables and how it relates to neighboring phenomena.
Example
Years later, she would hear this sentence again.
Counterexample
A character’s conjecture is not automatically a narrative foreshadowing.
Distinction
A character’s conjecture is not automatically a narrative foreshadowing.
Effect on thought and perception
The term draws attention to and complements the existing analepsis as a temporal counter-movement. What previously appeared to be a unified process becomes perceptible as a structured relationship.
Resonance
Resonance arises when prolepsis is not merely named but experienced as a movement between form, expectation, and effect.
Cite this entry
Reich, Michael (Hrsg./ed.): „Prolepse“. Atlas der Sprache, AT-088-016. ATLAS 251, data model 1.6.0. https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-088-016The address remains stable; editorial content may evolve. A verified modification date per entry is not yet available. Include your access date for precise references.