The main focus of this essay is foreshadowing and anticipation in Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres. The device of foreshadowing is of great importance in literary works, because of its relation to anticipation; anticipation which is brought to the works by readers. Foreshadowing is a clue or an event in the present time of a narrative which indicates that something might take place in the future which is not yet obvious. This literary device is highly important when creating narratives. A successful narrative uses foreshadowing to engage its readers and also uses readers to reach its full potential. When foreshadowing is present in a text, which is read by a competent reader, the effect is anticipation. Anticipation is the reader’s assumptions concerning the future in a narrative. Anticipation is strongly connected to foreshadowing, and is also the reason why foreshadowing in itself is so important. For anticipation to take place, there has to be a reader involved, hence, different types of readers are discussed. Smiley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is full of clues of what is to come. The plot greatly depends on foreshadowing and its readers’ anticipations of coming events, which is why I will explore the use and effects of this device in this particular novel.