A preliminary narrative or introductory part that sets up a story or dramatic work, answering questions about what happened before the main action begins.
From Greek ana- (back, again) + krisis (decision, judgment, from krinein, to judge). The term combines the upward prefix with the root for analysis or critical judgment, referring to 'going back' to establish context.
In Greek drama, the anacrisis was often the backstory that characters revealed through dialogue—smart playwrights learned that audiences crave context, so they built exposition into their earliest scenes!
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