The Narrative superstructure Consists essentially of two things: the content of a story and the way it is used to tell that story.
Two common ways of describing these two parts of narrative structure are story and plot. With history we speak of the raw materials of dramatic action, which could be described in chronological order. The plot refers to how the story is told.
If you want to analyze the narrative structure, it is convenient to use the questions"who","what"and"where". The"how"and"when"questions are used to examine the structure of the plot.
Conventionally, both story and plot are described in terms of how a character's life is interrupted by an event or change in their everyday situation. This causes a series of conflicts that the character must face. The classic narrative structure consists of three parts: exposure, climax and resolution.
Parts of the narrative structure
1- Exposure
The exhibition introduces the reader to two components of the story:
- The personalities of the main characters.
- The space or environment in which these characters live.
Each story must have an exposition, but not necessarily at the beginning. Many fictions, especially those related to mysteries, start in the middle of the action and then explain who the characters are and what their space implies.
2- Climax
The climax of a classical narrative culminates the narrative conflict, which requires a resolution. The central enigma, which has been delayed for a long time, demands to be resolved.
The climaxes are the most concentrated moment of the narrative conflict, but they are not typically the end of the story. Classic stories usually incorporate a short resolution to answer any outstanding questions.
3- Resolution
To the point of resolution, the enigmas have been constantly delayed and narrative action has steadily increased. In resolution, instead, the puzzles are resolved and the narrative action (or conflict) decreases.
If a story ends without answering your questions and the ending is ambiguous or open, it is a final narrative opening. For the most part, narrative openness only exists in non-classical narratives.
4- The plot of the plot
In novels, novels and short stories, the typical pattern of three or five parts of a story is given. This is known as the plot of the plot. It is the foundation of many structures and is the most commonly used. It can also be applied to other forms of media, such as movies and television programs.
A similar diagram can be used to understand the patterns of drama or games. This is known as the five-act structure. Shakespeare Was famous for structuring his works in five acts: act I is the introduction, act II is upward action, act III the climax, act IV falling action, and act V resolution or denouement.
In addition, the narrative structure used for epics and some myths, legends, folk tales and fairy tales is often the so-called"hero's journey".
Not all stories fit this structure, but it is commonly used for this type of narrative when the protagonist is considered a"hero."
A famous example would be The odyssey , The Greek epic where the hero is forced to live lost in the sea due to the evil will of Poseidon.
Modern examples can be found in animated Disney animated films such as Toy Story or Finding Nemo.
Narrative structure of a work
The works of fiction originated in ancient Greece. Aristotle Was one of the first to write about the drama and describe its three segments: beginning, middle and end.
Over time, the dramas evolved, and the Roman poet Horace advocated five acts. Many centuries later, a German playwright, Gustav Freytag , Developed the structure of five acts commonly used today to analyze classical and Shakespearean dramas.
The structure of the three acts
Aristotle believed that every piece of poetry or drama must have a beginning, a middle and an end. These divisions were developed by the Roman Aelius Donatus, and they were called Protasis, Epitasis and Catastrophe.
The three-act structure has seen a renaissance in recent years, in the success of film and television programs that have adopted it.
The structure of the five acts
The five-act structure extends the classical divisions. The works of Shakespeare are especially known to follow this structure. The form of a five-act structure is as follows:
Act 1: The Exhibition
Here, the public learns the configuration (time / place), the characters develop and a conflict is introduced.
Act 2: Growing Action
The action of this act leads the public to climax. It is common for complications to arise or for the protagonist to encounter obstacles.
Act 3: The climax
This is the turning point of the work. The climax is characterized by a greater amount of suspense.
Act 4: Downward Action
Here the story is coming to an end and any unknown details or twists of the plot are revealed.
Act 5: Resolution
This is the end result of the drama. Here the tone of the authors on their subject is revealed. Sometimes there is a moral or a lesson to be learned.
The Hero's Journey
The Hero's Journey is a narrative structure known for epic poems or journeys. The most notable is The odyssey Of Homer. The hero's journey is a slightly more complex diagram following a pattern similar to the plot diagram.
The Hero's Journey is an archetypal narrative structure with several stages in which a hero drifts to completion.
Joseph Campbell , A mythologist, writer and American lecturer, created this cycle after investigating and reviewing numerous myths and histories of different times and regions of the world.
What they found was that they all share the same fundamental principles. This generated"The Journey of the Hero". The most basic version has 12 steps, while more detailed versions can have up to 17.
References
- Toby Jones. Types of Narrative Structures (s.f.). Retrieved from penandthepad.com.
- Narrative Structure Made Easy (s.f.). Retrieved from novel-writing-help.com.
- Critical Essays The Narrative Structure (s.f.). Recovered from cliffsnotes.com.
- Narrative Structure in Literature (s.f.). Retrieved from elearning.la.psu.edu.
- Narrative Structure, Plot Devices and Stereotypes (s.f.). Retrieved from psu.edu.