infodump vs. exposition

Matthew Cheney, author of The Mumpsimus, poses some interesting questions about the part of a story called the exposition, or “infodump”.

I’ve been wondering about exposition recently, particularly exposition of the infodump variety, wherein an author needs to convey a lot of information and does so by coming out and stating it. Telling vs. showing. Choosing efficiency over subtlety.

Here are some ideas, questions, and assumptions about exposition…

Cheney asks for examples of infodump vs. exposition. I can think of one example that successfully combines the two: Shakespeare’s Ricard III Act I, Scene i.