Foreshadowing

The Definition:

Hints and clues that suggest what will come later. Writers use this to create anticipation (@suspense) in the reader; sometimes they point you in the right direction, sometimes in the wrong (encourage a @surprise ending).

Term In Action: In "The Birds" Nat is chilled by the wind that seeps from under the door: "Even the air in the small bedroom had turned chill: a draft came under the skirting of the door, blowing upond the bed." The next day the birds "invade" the house through these cracks and spaces in the house. Notice that this scene also creates @suspense.