analepsiswhere

Analepsiswhere is a neologism used in some discussions of narratology to describe a form of memory narrative in which past events (analepsis) are anchored to a specific location or spatial cue within the story world. The term blends the established concept of analepsis with the word where, signaling a focus on the locus of memory as a structural element.

Description and mechanism

Analepsiswhere treats a memory as something that is initiated, accessed, or reactivated by a particular place, object, or setting within the present narrative. Rather than presenting a flashback as a separate digression, the past scene unfolds in connection with the current spatial context, making the location itself part of the memory’s trigger and architecture. This can produce a layered effect in which the boundaries between present action and recollected space are porous, and the memory is experienced through the protagonist’s interaction with the location.

Relation to other concepts

The term is distinct from standard analepsis (flashback) and prolepsis (flash-forward) by foregrounding the spatial anchor of the memory. It overlaps with ideas such as the memory palace or place-based memory techniques used in experimental literature and interactive media, but it centers the in-story “where” as an active driver of narration.

Usage and status

Analepsiswhere remains a niche or emerging term without wide consensus. It appears primarily in contemporary criticism, glossaries, and discussions of experimental narrative forms. Examples are mostly hypothetical or drawn from speculative fiction and digital storytelling, rather than established literary methodology.

See also

Analepsis, Prolepsis, Narratology, Memory palace, Spatial narration.