What is an exposition?

An exposition is a piece of writing that elucidates a certain topic, event, subject or situation. The main purpose of expository writing is to convey information, in the process educating the reader about a certain issue. If controversial or widely debated issues are being written about, the writer will usually include a discussion of the various viewpoints on the issue. Exposition, in fiction, is the background information that the reader needs in order to understand the story as it proceeds. It can be delivered directly, where the reader simply absorbs the information presented, or it can be delivered indirectly, where the reader has to infer from the character’s actions or other clues communicated by the text.