Chekhov’s gun
📖 Definitions
noun
1. The literary principle that if an element is introduced in a story, it must be shown to have a purpose.
2. An element introduced in a story that is revealed to have a purpose later on.
💬 Usage Examples
“The producers rub it in a bit. ‘The Northwest Territories is home to over 3,000 bears,’ says the narrator, who speaks in a low, ominous growl and who I quickly suspect to be a bear. In dramatic terms, bears are Chekhov’s gun, and if at least one person isn’t eaten by a bear by the end of this show it will betray a loose grasp of dramatic structure on the part of the ursine narrator.” Patrick Freyne; One Survivalist Wants to “See What I’m Made Of”; Irish Times (Dublin); Aug 11, 2023.