Previous
Foil
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
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Keen on Games:
An important moment of foreshadowing occurs in Chapter 1 of Howards End when Helen remarks in a letter to Margaret that the Wilcox family are “keen on games.” Forster uses this seemingly innocent comment to foreshadow their tendency to manipulate people:
Later on I heard the noise of croquet balls, and looked out again, and it was Charles Wilcox practising; they are keen on all games.
Related Themes:
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Swept Away in Time:
This passage from Chapter 2 contains vivid visual imagery that describes the contrast between the natural and urban environments in London. It also outlines and foreshadows the rapid changes to London currently happening and still to come:
Unlock with LitCharts A+One had the sense of a backwater, or rather of an estuary, whose waters flowed in from the invisible sea, and ebbed into a profound silence while the waves without were still beating. Though the promontory consisted of flats—expensive, with cavernous entrance halls, full of concierges and palms—it fulfilled its purpose, and gained for the older houses opposite a certain measure of peace. These, too, would be swept away in time, and another promontory would rise upon their site, as humanity piled itself higher and higher on the precious soil of London.
Related Themes:
