Definition of In medias res

In medias res, also medias in res (Latin for "into the middle of things") is a literary and artistic technique where the narrative starts in the middle of the story instead of from its beginning (ab ovo or ab initio). The characters, setting, and conflict are often introduced through a series of flashbacks or through characters relating past events to each other. Classical works such as Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid begin in the middle of the story. Dante's Divine Comedy also begins in medias res.