in medias res
Say it: in MEE-dee-as RAYZ /ɪn ˌmiːdiæs ˈreɪz/ · Latin phrase
What “in medias res” means
Starting a story when the action is already happening.
More precisely: Starting a story in the middle of the action, rather than at the beginning.
Example: “The novel opens in medias res, with the heroine already running from the police.”
When to use it
When describing a story opening that drops you straight into an unfolding event before explaining the background.
Similar words
mid-action, in the thick of it
Where it comes from
Latin 'into the middle of things', from Horace's Ars Poetica.
Quick check
A novel's first sentence finds a sailor already clinging to wreckage during a storm. How does the story begin?
with a prologue or in medias res?
Show the answer
in medias res
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