In medias res

In medias res, also medias in res is a Latin phrase meaning " in the middle of things ."

The phrase comes from Horace's Ars poetica, in whose verse 148 of the Roman poet the narrative style of the Greek poet Homer in the Iliad praises: He leads the audience right at the start outright in the middle of things, so into the action a. So it is, even today in the literature, the narrator goes in medias res. In a figurative sense, the phrase stands for tackling a problem or matter expeditiously.

The opposite of in medias res is an entry level ab ovo ( from egg to ), make the beginning in the introductory descriptions. In the classic tale, known in English as Narrative means in medias res " in progressing action."