Dissecting Dragons: Episode 78: Portents, Symbols and Future Knowledge - Precognition and Foreshadowing in Speculative Fiction

Episode 78: Portents, Symbols & Future Knowledge - Precognition & Foreshadowing in Specuative Fiction

 

Done correctly, foreshadowing in a novel should be almost invisible yet nevertheless prepare the reader for what is going to happen in the story. The week the dragons delve into foreshadowing specifically in speculative fiction where literal 'foreshadowing' or precognition can also be used as a device to shape the narrative to great effect. Why is it that we need to know on some level where a story is going without actually knowing how it ends in advance? SFF authos M.E.Vaughan and J.A.Ironside tackle this and other questions in this week's episode. In the petri dish this week - On the Edge of Tomorrow, Dune by Frank Herbert and many more.

 

Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic