English

Alternative forms

• back story
• back-story

Noun

backstory ‎(plural backstories)

1. The previous life and experiences of a character in a dramatic work.
   • 2004 January 16, Kelly Kleiman, “Her Side of the Story”, in Chicago Reader:

     These backstories cast the characters' behavior in a new light: of course Gertrude would promptly marry the man who saved her from abuse; of course Ophelia would be desperate and indiscreet in seeking Hamlet's love.

   • A fictitious account of a person's history designed to conceal their actual history and motives; a cover story.
2. A prequel.

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