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Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Key Examples in A Scandal in Bohemia
Part 1
Explanation and Analysis—THE Woman:
In the opening and concluding sentences of "A Scandal in Bohemia," Watson refers to Irene Adler as the woman. This wording—with an italicized emphasis on the definite article—is a quotation of Holmes, and it becomes a motif that frames the short story. The initial sentences of the first part introduce Irene Adler without naming her:
TO SHERLOCK Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.
Related Themes:
Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—Familiar Voice:
At the end of the story's second part, as Holmes and Watson return to Baker Street, a stranger bids the former goodnight. Holmes notes that the voice is familiar to him, but he can't figure out who it was. In this moment, Doyle foreshadows that Holmes has been outsmarted:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He was searching his pockets for the key when someone passing said:
“Good-night, Mister Sherlock Holmes.”
[...]
“I’ve heard that voice before,” said Holmes, staring down the dimly lit street. “Now, I wonder who the deuce that could have been.”
Related Themes:
Part 3
Explanation and Analysis—THE Woman:
In the opening and concluding sentences of "A Scandal in Bohemia," Watson refers to Irene Adler as the woman. This wording—with an italicized emphasis on the definite article—is a quotation of Holmes, and it becomes a motif that frames the short story. The initial sentences of the first part introduce Irene Adler without naming her:
Unlock with LitCharts A+TO SHERLOCK Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.
Related Themes:
