Stuart's Daily Word Spot: In medias res

In medias res: Meaning 'into the middle of things', this Latinphrase denotes the literary narrative technique where the story begins at themid-point or even the end, instead of the beginning. Setting, character, andconflict are generally established using flashback and, sometimes, expository dialogueto explain and describe what has happened prior to the opening events. Its mainadvantage is that the story opens with dramatic action instead of beginningwith an explanation and description of the characters and situation. An example is Homer's Odyssey, where we first hear about Odysseus'journey as he's kept captive on Calypso's island. Later, we discover that mostof Odysseus' journey takes place before that point in the narrative. The technique is used fairly widely in modern literature as a device tohook the attention of readers who might otherwise be impatient enough todiscard a good story before it has really begun.
9 July 1911: Mervyn Peake, author of Gormenghast, born.
Picture: Nettle Dale, near Huggate, East Yorkshire.