Anecdote
Literary term · say it AN-ik-doht
An anecdote is a short account of a particular incident, often told to amuse, reveal character, or make a point. It usually focuses on one small event rather than a whole life or a long chain of events.
Ways an anecdote works
An amusing incident
An anecdote can entertain through a small mishap or an unexpected outcome. The details often reveal someone's habits as well as giving the reader something to laugh at.
In Three Men in a Boat, the narrator recalls Uncle Podger hanging a picture, turning a simple household task into confusion involving everyone nearby.
In Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome
A revealing incident
An anecdote can offer a glimpse of someone's feelings or past. One brief event may help explain behavior that otherwise seems puzzling.
In The Great Gatsby, Jordan tells Nick about finding Daisy drunk and crying over a letter before her wedding to Tom. The incident reveals doubts beneath Daisy's apparently settled choice.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
How to spot an anecdote
- Look for a brief account of one particular incident.
- Notice when a speaker pauses to tell something that happened earlier.
- Ask what the incident reveals, explains, or makes amusing.
Free for 3 months
200,000+ classics. Every format, free to start.
eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and any book printed at cost, large print too.
Does an anecdote have to be true?
An anecdote usually presents an incident as something that happened, but it does not have to be historically true. In fiction, a character may tell an anecdote about an event within the imagined world, and that account may itself be unreliable.
What is the difference between an anecdote and a short story?
An anecdote usually centers on one incident and a quick point, while a short story generally develops a fuller narrative. Both can reveal character or surprise a reader, but an anecdote often appears within a longer conversation or work.
Related terms
Books where you can see Anecdote
Free for 3 months
200,000+ classics. Every format, free to start.
eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and any book printed at cost, large print too.
200,000+ classics to read and hear, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
