Nonlinear narrative
Also known as: achronological structure, fragmented timeline
A structure that presents events out of chronological order, arranged by theme, memory, or design rather than sequence.
Nonlinear narrative in fiction: 12 works
Billy Pilgrim comes 'unstuck in time,' and the story leaps achronologically across his life.
The story interleaves flashbacks, documents, and parallel timelines out of sequence.
The narrator's altered perception of time makes the telling loop between past and future.
The film runs its scenes largely in reverse, mirroring the protagonist's broken memory.
The narrative alternates the post-collapse present with flashbacks to how it happened.
The story unfolds inside the crumbling memory being erased, out of chronological order.
Interlocking diaries and timelines are read out of order to conceal the secrets.
The narrative weaves across timelines before and after the collapse.
Three timelines, later revealed as one woman's life, are interleaved out of sequence.
The heptapod language reorders the protagonist's perception of time and the film's structure.
The series conceals that its storylines unfold across widely separated timelines.
Forward and inverted timelines intersect, forcing the story to be read in both directions.