At the beginning of Volume 2, Chapter 14 of Ivanhoe, Walter Scott utilizes flashbacks in a highly specific way to enrich the reader’s understanding of the events to follow:
Our history must needs retrograde for the space of a few pages, to inform the reader of certain passages material to his understanding the rest of this important narrative. His own intelligence may indeed have easily anticipated that, when Ivanhoe sunk down, and seemed abandoned by all the world, it was the importunity of Rebecca which prevailed on her father to have the gallant young warrior transported from the lists to the house which for the time the Jews inhabited in the suburbs of Ashby.
The use of flashback here serves several purposes. Firstly, the delay in chronological time this flashback causes creates increased tension and excitement for the reader. Additionally, by choosing to "retrograde" or go back in time within the narrative, Scott provides essential context that clarifies preceding events. This method allows the narrator to reveal important details that were previously omitted, building suspense and deepening the narrative's complexity.
Moreover, flashbacks like this one play a crucial role in building character knowledge for the reader. By returning to their past, Scott can offer insights into the motivations and actions of characters who might otherwise seem mysterious. This backstory not only fills in gaps for the reader but also makes the characterization of the people involved more complex and complete. The passages which follow this one are "material" necessities for "understanding this important narrative."
