plotwendingen

Plotwendingen, literally “plot twists” in Dutch, refer to narrative devices that overturn expectations about a story’s outcome, characters, or chronology. The term combines plot with wending, meaning turning or twisting, and is used in Dutch-language literary criticism as well as in discussions of film, television, theatre, and games.

Common forms include revelation of hidden identities, reinterpretation of past events, reversal of fortune, or a change of perspective, such as a shift from a linear to non-linear chronology. Techniques include misdirection, unreliable narration, red herrings, concealed information, and deliberate foreshadowing that only pays off later.

Plotwendingen can heighten suspense, intensify themes, or deepen character study, but may frustrate if not adequately foreshadowed or if the twist ignores prior rules.

In criticism and media practice, plot twists are discussed in terms of timing, plausibility, and coherence; they can be pure entertainment or a commentary on narrative form. They remain a common feature in contemporary storytelling across formats, from serialized television to interactive media.