Question

Which line shows the literary technique of in media res?

Answer 1

Hint: Literary techniques are unique, deliberate language constructions that an author uses to express meaning. An author's literary technique typically occurs at one specific point in a text with the single or the phrase or a particular group of words. Literary techniques, unlike literary elements, are not inherently present in any text.

Complete answer:
"One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug."
From the above line shows in media res.
"The expression In medias res is the Latin for "into the middle of things."
It generally describes a narrative that begins, not at the beginning of a story, but in the middle somewhere, usually at some critical point in action.
“The term comes from ancient Roman poet Horace, who had advised aspiring epic poets to go straight to the heart of the story instead of beginning at the beginning”.

The story opens in this case at precisely the moment the action begins. It just directly plops the reader into an action. Kafka has written as, "Gregor Samsa was born in Prague in the winter of 1902. He attended the local schools, and on graduation, he secured a good position in a commercial firm."
This is a "starting at the beginning," but this story begins in the middle of things.


Note:
- Many forms of art or entertainment, like video games, movies, legends, and myths, begin in media res.
- As their "Hero's Journey" starts, the stories of several legendary heroes begin, often with a quick recounting of miraculous events surrounding the hero's birth.
- There is also often a brief tale of precocious ability, as in the Gospel stories—Jesus as a child teaching the rabbis, or Hercules strangling the snakes in his cradle.