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Analepsis

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A narrative device in poetry that interrupts chronological sequence to revisit or recall earlier events, deepening context or emotion.

Detailed Definition
Analepsis, or flashback, is a narrative technique where the poem interrupts chronological sequence to recount past events; it deepens character psychology, contextualizes present action, or creates dramatic irony, frequently used in epic (e.g., The Odyssey) and dramatic monologues (e.g., Browning).
Example
Example in poetry:
Analepsis: In T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” the line “I have known the arms already, known them all—” uses analepsis (flashback) to recall past romantic encounters within the present meditation.
Additional Notes
Analepsis: A flashback or narrative return to an earlier time; in poetry, used to layer temporal perspectives or reveal backstory—contrasts with prolepsis (flash-forward) and enhances nonlinear storytelling.
Other Meanings of “Analepsis”
Also Known As
Flashback Retrospection Looking back Past reference
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