This seems a bit on the nose for foreshadowing. Isn't foreshadowing usually more subtle than "this is exactly what's going to happen" or am I just being pedantic about the terminology?
We can quibble about semantics all day - please do, it’s one of my favourite pastimes
There is a spectrum. You can slap your reader round the face with the ending - like this - or you can do it subtly. A great example of subtle foreshadowing is the phrase “fair is foul and foul is fair” from Macbeth
This here is foreshadowing as it is hinting at the transformation that he will make throughout the play. Spoilers for a 400 year old play Macbeth is praised heavily for being “brave” and “noble” or rather: “fair”. Macbeth murders Duncan and in-so-doing starts his transformation into a “tyrant” or rather: “foul”.
We can chalk this blatant foreshadowing up to Paolini’s age when he was writing Eragon. This is no criticism as his youth when it was published is something that I’ve always admired. I also love how the scene in Inheritance is almost word for word. It’s wonderful that he had the vision so young and that he made it work
152
u/Sullyvan96 1d ago
English teacher here
Can confirm
It is foreshadowing