Flashback - GCSE English Language Definition

What is a flashback?

In GCSE English Literature and GCSE English Language, a flashback is a narrative device where the narrative shifts to an earlier time to provide background information about characters, events, or themes. Flashbacks help deepen the reader’s understanding by revealing past experiences that influence the present.

Why do writers use flashbacks?

Writers use flashbacks to give insight into a character’s motivations, develop emotional depth and to create a contrast between past and present. They are often used to reveal key moments that shape a character’s personality, decisions or fate.

Example of a flashback

A powerful use of flashback appears in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens when the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge back to his childhood:

"A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still."

This flashback reveals Scrooge’s lonely and unhappy childhood, helping the reader understand why he became cold and miserly. By showing Scrooge’s past, Dickens creates sympathy for him and lays the foundation for his redemption. The contrast between past innocence and present greed reinforces the novel’s themes of transformation, memory, and the impact of one’s past on the present.

Revision resources to ace your exams

Learn how to explore a writer's use of flashbacks by using our detailed GCSE revision notes.

GCSE English Literature Revision Notes

GCSE English Language Revision Notes

For more literary techniques, check out our list of 127 top literary devices, complete with student-friendly definitions.