Final answer:
The technique in question is a flashback, a literary device that transports readers back in time to past events in a story to provide context and added depth. This is distinct from flashforwards or foreshadowing, which deal with future events.
Step-by-step explanation:
The technique described in the question is one where a writer takes the reader back in time from the current point of the narrative to describe events that have previously occurred. This technique is known as a flashback, which is a literary device used to give context to the current events of the story by revisiting past events. For example, in the story 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' by Ambrose Bierce, the character Farquhar is on a bridge about to be executed, and through a flashback, the reader learns how he came to be in this situation. Unlike a flashforward, which takes the narrative forward in time, or foreshadowing, which hints at future events, a flashback specifically provides the reader with a view of past events to add depth to the story.
Flashbacks can be integrated into a story using various techniques. Dialogue can reveal backstory, where characters speak of past events to add exposition, or the entire narrative structure can jump back and forth in time as seen in many stories dealing with trauma. It's important for writers to make clear transitions when employing these jumps in time, which can be achieved through the use of timestamps, dates, or symbolic imagery.