What do they say about a gun in the first act?
Category:
books and literature
fiction
It comes from Anton Chekhov's famous book writing advice: 'If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there. ' In other words, everything that is introduced in a story needs to have a function.
Keeping this in view, how do you use Chekhov's gun?
How to use Chekhov's Gun
- Spotlight an item. Authors can use their prose to bring a scene or setting to life.
- Spotlight a character trait. You should also keep Chekhov's Gun in mind when it comes to character development.
- Do something unexpected.
- Focus on an element that carries strong implications.
Simply so, is Chekhov's gun foreshadowing?
The difference is that a Chekhov's gun is a specific element (often, but not always, a physical object) that is introduced early, and then comes back later, whereas foreshadowing is merely a hint or reference to what will come later.
The term 'Chekhov's Gun' comes from something Chekhov allegedly said in the 1880s (it was noted down by Ilia Gurliand): 'If in Act I you have a pistol hanging on the wall, then it must fire in the last act'.