If foreshadowing is not done carefully, the common [[experiences]] of life can make the foreshadowing too obvious and allow the audience to [[predict]] the outcome of the story. Example: a character behaves in an odd and erratic [[fashion]] and complains continuously of a headache, then later is diagnosed with a [[brain]] tumor. Foreshadowing can also be used dishonestly in a [[mystery]], where a series of events which points to a conclusion is later found to be composed of unlikely [[coincidences]] which have been "dishonestly" added to the story by the [[author]] in an artificial way, with the sole [[purpose]] of drawing the audience into an incorrect [[expectation]]. In such cases, the audience feels [[manipulated]], and the story may be less satisfying. | If foreshadowing is not done carefully, the common [[experiences]] of life can make the foreshadowing too obvious and allow the audience to [[predict]] the outcome of the story. Example: a character behaves in an odd and erratic [[fashion]] and complains continuously of a headache, then later is diagnosed with a [[brain]] tumor. Foreshadowing can also be used dishonestly in a [[mystery]], where a series of events which points to a conclusion is later found to be composed of unlikely [[coincidences]] which have been "dishonestly" added to the story by the [[author]] in an artificial way, with the sole [[purpose]] of drawing the audience into an incorrect [[expectation]]. In such cases, the audience feels [[manipulated]], and the story may be less satisfying. |