Talk:In medias res

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this simply does not make any sense: "it could be said that the Iliad does not start in media res, since it tells not the story of the Trojan war (which is a backdrop), but the story of Achilles' rage." Yes, it could be argued that the Iliad does not start in media res, but how can it be said that the whole of the Iliad is simply a story about Achilles' rage? There is so much more to the story -- this second clause therefore should be removed or modified to suit the actual objective content in the referred material. Pfhyde 00:19, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. I think certain definitions of in media res would exclude the Illiad, but the comment about Achilles' rage is unsourced opinion and even more importantly, not relevant to this topic. -- nae'blis 00:30, 18 January 2007 (UTC)
the comment about Achilles' anger is not unsourced, since Homer says it in the first line of the epic 'Sing, o goddess, of the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus...' That's what the poem's about (as well as lots of other things as well, but that's what Homer says it's about).Hostiensis (talk) 10:28, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] How I Met Your Mother

Isn't that series more of a frame story? --W0lfie 02:03, 6 September 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Lost... the meaning of media res?

I really do not think Lost belongs in this article; character developing flashbacks don't really count towards the story at hand. If they did, nearly all fictional stories would be classified as starting in media res. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.211.220.163 (talk) 23:27, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] I still don't know what "In medias res" MEANS

Because this page fails to translate it. I imagine it means something like, "In the middle, we begin" but since I'm not a Latin speaker, I have no clue. I don't understand how an entire wiki page can exist without failing to provide a simple translation? I'm surprised this was overlooked. - Theaveng (talk) 15:28, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

  • It means "in the middle of things" where the story starts off in the middle and earlier events are shown through flashbacks. 76.189.125.215 (talk) 00:02, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Dante?

I don't see how the Divine Comedy fits the description of in medias res. It starts out, basically, as "one day while walking through the woods..." That wouldn't seem to meet the definition of starting in the middle of things. Dante starts at the start and goes chronologically.

--Jesse —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.97.202.241 (talk) 01:45, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

I've removed the Comedy from the list of examples. If anyone has any good reason why it should be on there let me know. --Jesse —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.97.90.96 (talk) 17:14, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

From Divine Comedy: "The poem begins on the night before Good Friday in the year 1300, "midway in the journey of our life" (Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita), and so opens in medias res". There are many references for this. Added one. dissolvetalk 18:42, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
But the poem is not about the life of Dante; it is only about a certain set of events--and it begins right at the beginning of that set of events. Going by your definition, any work that does not start at a man's birth starts in medias res.

Okay, I found a satisfactory explanation on Google:

"Similar to other epic poems, the Divine Comedy begins in medias res ("in the middle of events"). This means something has happened prior to the opening action that provides a catalyst for the journey. In this case, Virgil explains in canto 2 that he was summoned to Dante's aid by Beatrice, who was herself summoned by Lucia at the request of a woman able to alter the judgment of heaven (Inf. 2.94-6). This last woman, who sets in motion the entire rescue operation, can only be Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus according to Dante's faith. "Lucia" is Saint Lucy of Syracuse, a Christian martyr closely associated with sight and vision (her name means "light" and she was said to have gouged out her eyes to protect her chastity). Beatrice, who will reappear as a major figure later in the poem, was the inspiration for Dante's early love poetry (she died in 1290 at age 24) and now plays the role of his spiritual guide as well. Along with Virgil, these "three blessed women"--Mary, Lucia, Beatrice--thus make possible Dante's journey to the realms of the afterlife. "

--Jesse —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.97.217.231 (talk) 20:26, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

--Jesse —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.97.217.231 (talk) 20:23, 25 May 2008 (UTC)