anagnorisis
Say it: an-ag-NOR-ih-sis /ˌænəɡˈnɒrɪsɪs/ · noun
What “anagnorisis” means
When a character discovers a truth that changes their understanding.
More precisely: The moment in a story when a character discovers a crucial truth.
Example: “The anagnorisis comes when the detective realises the killer is her own partner.”
When to use it
A literary term for the crucial recognition scene when a character discovers an identity or understands their true situation.
Similar words
recognition, discovery, revelation
Where it comes from
Greek, 'recognition', a term from Aristotle's Poetics.
Quick check
In a play, a traveller recognises his childhood pendant on a stranger and realises she is his sister. That's…
anagnorisis or foreshadowing?
Show the answer
anagnorisis
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