Nonlinearity
Related: fragmentation - random - interactive fiction
Used as a literary technique in: modernism - postmodernism
Contrast: linearity - sequential
Definition
Not in a straight line. --AHDNonlinearity in the arts
In the arts, the word nonlinear is used to describe events portrayed in a non-chronological manner. This technique is often used to mimic the structure and recall of human memory, but it has been applied for other reasons as well. Nonlinearity is very common in film. Some good examples of movies with nonlinear plotlines include Memento, Pulp Fiction and Run Lola Run. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonlinear_%28arts%29 [Jul 2006]
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