<P> Works that employ in medias res often , though not always , will subsequently use flashback and nonlinear narrative for exposition of earlier events in order to fill in the backstory . For example , in Homer 's Odyssey , we first learn about Odysseus 's journey when he is held captive on Calypso 's island . We then find out , in Books IX through XII , that the greater part of Odysseus 's journey precedes that moment in the narrative . On the other hand , Homer 's Iliad has relatively few flashbacks , although it opens in the thick of the Trojan War . </P>
example of in medias res in the odyssey
we first learn about Odysseus 's journey when he is held captive on Calypso 's island