Retcon definition

With so many long-running movie and TV franchises, retcon definition, the word retcon definition is often thrown around, but what does it mean in this context? Sometimes, retcon definition, the term is used to describe a continuity mistake in a work of fiction, but the true meaning goes a little deeper than that. In the world of movies and television—especially regarding franchises that have been going on for years—previously established information is bound to need a tweak or two. This is where retconning comes in, and there are a great many ways that this can be done.

Retroactive continuity , or retcon for short, is a literary device in which facts in the world of a fictional work that have been established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work that recontextualizes or breaks continuity with the former. Retcons are used by authors to increase their creative freedom, on the assumption that the changes are unimportant to the audience compared to the new story which can be told. Retcons can be diegetic or nondiegetic. For instance, by using time travel or parallel universes , an author may diegetically reintroduce a popular character they had previously killed off. More subtle and nondiegetic methods would be ignoring or expunging minor plot points to remove narrative elements the author doesn't have interest in writing. Retcons are common in pulp fiction , and especially in comic books by long-established publishers such as DC and Marvel. Retcons also often appear in manga , soap operas , serial dramas , movie sequels, cartoons , professional wrestling angles , video games , radio series, and other forms of serial fiction.

Retcon definition

Retcon has had a busy life for such a young word. In the span of a few decades it has managed to become an abbreviation, change from a noun to a verb, and move from the jargon-filled chat rooms of the Internet to general parlance. Though Sherlock Holmes died at the Reichenbach Falls, the author, Arthur Conan Doyle, retroactively declared that his death had been staged in what has been described as an early example of a retcon. Retcon is a shortened form of retroactive continuity , and refers to a literary device in which the form or content of a previously established narrative is changed. Essentially, a retcon allows an author to have his or her cake and eat it too, as it enables the return of dead characters, the revision of unpopular elements of a work, and a general disregard for reality. The term appears to have its roots in a book by E. This began in the early s when the term gained some degree of currency among comic book fans. The abbreviated form, retcon , started appearing in Usenet newsgroups before the end of the decade. Retcon 's noun and verb forms appeared almost simultaneously. They're in 1st Ed. Also, I would recommend picking up a couple issues of Dragon Magazine if you want to design such adventures, or Dungeon Adventures if you merely wish to run them. It might also be nice to include slang that is specific to certain groups on the net, but which are specific to the net, such as "retconning" in r. Talk about a retcon by another name! Okay, so Superboy never existed; we'd already figured that.

Retrieved May 26, Modifications may include: further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and retcon definition new senses, phrases, and quotations.

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Add to word list Add to word list. Retcon is short for " retroactive continuity ":. Retcons are usually done for the sake of the plot at hand. The scenes set in in "Selfless" are basically retcon. It isn't a total retcon. I never considered Anya's human past a retcon. The Sentry started out as an enormous retcon.

Retcon definition

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the verb retcon. OED's earliest evidence for retcon is from , in a message posted on the Usenet newsgroup rec. Etymons: retroactive continuity n. Sign in with library card. Sign in as administrator on Oxford Academic.

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There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun retcon.

Retroactive continuity is similar to, but not the same as, plot inconsistencies introduced accidentally or through lack of concern for continuity; retconning, by comparison, is done deliberately. Hindi to English. Feedback required. See more. Okay, so Superboy never existed; we'd already figured that. The abbreviated form, retcon , started appearing in Usenet newsgroups before the end of the decade. Word of the Day. English images. Translator tool. Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English. Could Bail's Backstory—and by extension the childhood of Princess Leia—suddenly be getting a retcon? Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Video Guides. Examples of retcon in a Sentence.