What does foreshadowing indicate in a narrative?

Foreshadowing serves as a literary device that provides hints or clues about events that will occur later in the story. This technique helps to build anticipation and tension, enabling readers to make connections between the clues and future developments as they progress through the narrative. It enhances the storytelling by preparing the audience for what is to come, often making significant future events feel more inevitable or meaningful because they have been subtly indicated beforehand. In this context, foreshadowing functions as a warning or indication, allowing readers to engage more deeply with the plot and its potential outcomes. The other options present concepts that do not align with the function of foreshadowing, such as sudden shifts in plot direction, recaps of previously established events, or personal conflicts within characters, which do not inherently provide a glimpse into future developments.