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GCSE English Literature · key term
A flash-forward to events later than the main narrative’s present.
Used by AQA and OCR
Paper 1
Revise: The Ghost of Christmas Yet to ComeDickens uses prolepsis, or flash-forward, to show the consequences of Scrooge continuing along his present course. The visions are not presented as a straightforward chronological account. Instead, the Ghost reveals reactions to an unnamed man’s death before confirming who that man is.
Paper 1
A movement forward in narrative time to show future events; also called a flash-forward.
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Dickens uses prolepsis—visions of future events—to bring consequences into the present, while there is still time to act. He also delays the dead man’s identification. Readers can suspect the truth before Scrooge acknowledges it, creating suspense and making the final revelation more powerful.
