A digression is a part of a written work or speech where the writer or speaker briefly moves away from the main topic. After discussing the main subject, they return to it later. Writers and speakers sometimes use digressions on purpose to make their work more interesting or to help explain their ideas better.

In ancient times, especially in the writings of Quintilian in his book Institutio Oratoria, digressions were a common part of speeches and writings. After introducing a topic and explaining why it was important, speakers or writers would briefly talk about a different subject before returning to the main idea, proving it was correct, and ending their discussion. A schizothemia is a type of digression where the speaker or writer shares a long memory or story that seems unrelated but is connected to the main topic.

Cicero, a famous ancient Roman speaker, was very skilled at using digressions. He would move from a specific question or problem (called the hypothesis) to a broader, more general question (called the thesis) that helped explain the first one. Even though his digressions seemed unrelated, they always helped support the main point. During the Second Sophistic period in ancient Rome, the ability to move away from a main topic in a speech and return to it smoothly was considered a sign of true skill in speaking.

Etymology

The word "digression" comes from the Latin term "digressio," which means "a going away or departing." This word is formed from the past participle stem of "digredi," meaning "to deviate." The prefix "dis-" means "apart" or "aside," and "gradi" means "to step" or "to go."

Literary use

Digressions in a story can have many purposes, such as giving background details, showing an example to explain a point, or using humor to criticize something.

Around 800–500 BCE, the writer Homer used digressions in The Iliad to pause the main story, share important background information, and make the story feel more real. These pauses helped readers stay connected to the characters and the plot.

For example, in Book Eleven, Homer describes a moment when Agamemnon meets two soldiers, Peisandros and Hippolokhos, who are asking for help. Agamemnon recalls that their father once refused to listen to messengers from Menelaos and wanted to kill them. This short break from the battle gives readers important information about the war’s beginning and the enemies involved.

In the 18th century, digressions were often used in satirical works. Books like Jonathan Swift’s A Tale of a Tub, Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy, and Diderot’s Jacques le fataliste et son maître used digressions as part of their humor. Sterne wrote that digressions are like sunlight—they make reading come alive. This style of using digressions for satire later appeared in Thomas Carlyle’s writing.

Digressions were also used in stories that were not meant to be funny. In Henry Fielding’s The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, the author included short stories within the main story. This technique later appeared in the works of Charles Dickens, Machado de Assis, William Makepeace Thackeray, Herman Melville, Victor Hugo, and others. Books by Leo Tolstoy, J.D. Salinger, Marcel Proust, Henry Miller, Milan Kundera, and Robert Musil also include many digressions.

In late 20th-century fiction (postmodern stories), writers used digressions to make readers think about the story rather than get lost in it. For example, John Fowles’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Lawrence Norfolk’s Lemprière’s Dictionary used digressions to explain the story’s background. Other writers, like Gilbert Sorrentino in Mulligan Stew, used digressions to break the story’s illusion and make it feel more creative.

Real-life examples

A speaking technique called digression is sometimes used in modern religious speeches. After the speaker introduces a topic, they may tell a story that appears unrelated, then return to the original subject and use the story to support their message.

In casual conversations, people often go off-topic without meaning to. When this happens, speakers may say, "But I digress…" to signal they are returning to the main point. This practice can be seen in writings from the 19th century. However, if the speaker does not connect the digression back to the main topic, the shift in subject is not considered a true rhetorical digression.