Analepsis
/ˌænəˈlɛpsɪs/noun
A literary or rhetorical flashback, or a return to a prior point in a narrative or sequence.
Did you know?It comes from Greek roots meaning “up” + “taking,” and in rhetoric it named a deliberate jump backward in time—proof that ancient language already had a word for memory as a kind of ritual return.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀνάληψις (anáληpsis)
“a taking up, a resumption, or a lifting up”
Late Greek
Greek
ἀνάληψις
“a taking up again; in rhetoric, a backward reference or recap”
Medieval Latin
Latin
analepsis
“a rhetorical return to an earlier point”
16th–19th Century
English
analepsis
“a rhetorical or narrative flashback; a return to an earlier stage”