A narrative technique where a story digresses into a separate tale before returning to the main plot.
From Greek 'ekbasis' meaning 'a going out' or 'digression' (ek- 'out' + basis 'a step' or 'journey'). The term was used by classical rhetoricians to describe structural deviation in storytelling.
Ancient Greek and Roman authors loved doing this—it's like when you're telling a friend about your day and suddenly launch into a completely different story before coming back to your original point. It's literally a 'stepping out' of the narrative.
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