Pale Fire

How does the author use foreshadowing in Pale Fire?

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The end of Canto Two details the death of the Shades' daughter. She goes out on a blind, double-date, and when her date arrives, he makes an excuse and then leaves. The poem cuts back and forth between the unknowing parents sitting at home, watching the TV and waiting for their daughter to call or arrive. They become increasingly worried as the night wears on. The poet foreshadows the daughter's death, and the reader's knowledge of what is happening on the date creates dramatic irony and suspense that is finally fulfilled at the arrival of the police car.

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Pale Fire