The MasterClass crew wrote this. When writing fiction, an author might transport the reader from the present plot to a previous era in the life of a character. A flashback is a storytelling device. An author may use it for several reasons: to reveal more information about a character or situation, to illuminate some aspect of the story, or to comment on events that have been overlooked or ignored by the main action. The term "flashback" comes from the fact that these scenes are viewed retrospectively, as if seen through a mirror. The viewer sees what happened before they did, as if looking back at their own life. In literature, a flashback is any scene or portion of a scene that takes place in the past but which the audience learns about through the mind or eyes of one of the characters present in the current scene or action. The classic literary flashback is probably found in James Joyce's Ulysses: Leopold and Molly Bloom drive through Dublin and discuss past events in their lives. Flashbacks can also occur within scenes, as when a character recalls an event that shaped their personality. Flashbacks are often used by novelists to explain how someone came to possess an object that plays a significant role in the story; for example, a gun that features later in the narrative.