What term is used for a narrative that strays from the main point?

The term "digression" refers to a narrative technique where the story temporarily deviates from the main plot or central theme to explore related ideas, characters, or backgrounds. This allows the author to provide additional context, elaborate on certain aspects, or develop subplots that may enrich the overall story. Digressions can enhance the depth of a story by providing insight into characters or themes, even if they momentarily divert from the primary action.

In contrast, ambiguity involves uncertainty or multiple meanings in text, foreshadowing is a literary device that hints at events to come, and allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of literature. None of these terms encapsulate the idea of straying from the main narrative in the way that "digression" specifically does.