3 min read•Last Updated on July 22, 2024
Narratology, a branch of structuralism, studies the patterns and rules governing narratives. It examines how stories are constructed and interpreted, focusing on key concepts like fabula, sjuzhet, and narrative discourse. These tools help analyze the building blocks of storytelling.
Narratological analysis involves identifying and examining elements like plot, characters, point of view, setting, and theme. By breaking down these components, we can understand how they work together to create meaning and impact in a story. This approach offers insights but also has limitations.
A Spatial Model for Extracting and Visualizing Latent Discourse Structure in Text - ACL Anthology View original
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A Spatial Model for Extracting and Visualizing Latent Discourse Structure in Text - ACL Anthology View original
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A Spatial Model for Extracting and Visualizing Latent Discourse Structure in Text - ACL Anthology View original
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How to do Qualitative Structural Analysis: The Qualitative Interpretation of Network Maps and ... View original
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A Spatial Model for Extracting and Visualizing Latent Discourse Structure in Text - ACL Anthology View original
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Archetypes are universal symbols, themes, or character types that recur across various cultures and literature, representing fundamental human experiences. They serve as foundational elements that shape narratives and influence the reader's understanding of the story, establishing connections to shared cultural memories and psychological patterns.
Term 1 of 24
Archetypes are universal symbols, themes, or character types that recur across various cultures and literature, representing fundamental human experiences. They serve as foundational elements that shape narratives and influence the reader's understanding of the story, establishing connections to shared cultural memories and psychological patterns.
Term 1 of 24
Archetypes are universal symbols, themes, or character types that recur across various cultures and literature, representing fundamental human experiences. They serve as foundational elements that shape narratives and influence the reader's understanding of the story, establishing connections to shared cultural memories and psychological patterns.
Term 1 of 24
Structuralism is a theoretical approach that emphasizes the underlying structures that shape culture, language, and literature. It focuses on the relationships between elements within a system rather than on the individual elements themselves, highlighting how meaning is generated through these interconnections. This approach has influenced various fields, including linguistics, anthropology, and literary criticism.
Semiotics: The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation within communication, which is a key component of structuralist analysis.
Mythology: A collection of myths or stories that convey cultural truths, often analyzed by structuralists to uncover the underlying structures of meaning within narratives.
Binary Oppositions: Pairs of contrasting concepts (such as good/evil or nature/culture) that structuralists analyze to reveal how meaning is constructed in texts and cultural practices.
Plot refers to the structured sequence of events in a narrative that outlines the main story. It is essential for organizing the action, revealing character motivations, and creating emotional impact, often involving conflict, climax, and resolution. A well-crafted plot keeps the audience engaged and drives the thematic elements of the narrative.
Conflict: The central struggle between opposing forces in a story, which drives the plot and motivates characters' actions.
Narrative Arc: The overall shape and structure of a story that encompasses the rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Character Development: The process by which a character undergoes growth or change throughout the story, often influenced by the events of the plot.
Point of view refers to the perspective from which a story is narrated, influencing how events and characters are perceived by readers. This narrative choice shapes the reader's understanding and emotional connection to the text, affecting elements like intimacy with characters, reliability of narration, and thematic depth.
First-Person Narration: A narrative style where the story is told from the perspective of a character using 'I' or 'we', providing a personal and subjective viewpoint.
Third-Person Omniscient: A narrative perspective where an all-knowing narrator reveals thoughts and feelings of multiple characters, allowing for a broader understanding of the story.
Unreliable Narrator: A narrator whose credibility is compromised, causing readers to question their account of events and motivations.
In medias res is a narrative technique where a story begins in the middle of the action, rather than at the chronological start. This approach often captivates the audience immediately, plunging them into a pivotal moment, and then reveals the preceding events through flashbacks or dialogue, enhancing suspense and engagement throughout the story.
Flashback: A narrative device that interrupts the chronological sequence of events to provide background information about characters or plot.
Chronological Order: The arrangement of events in the order they occurred, often used to tell a story from beginning to end.
Narrative Hook: An engaging opening in a story designed to grab the reader's attention and make them want to continue reading.
Non-linear storytelling is a narrative technique where the plot is presented out of chronological order, allowing for a more complex and dynamic unfolding of events. This method can create suspense, deepen character development, and engage the audience by inviting them to piece together the story themselves. Non-linear storytelling often utilizes flashbacks, flash-forwards, or multiple perspectives, creating a multifaceted narrative structure that challenges traditional linear narratives.
Chronological Order: A narrative structure that presents events in the sequence they occur, following a straight timeline from beginning to end.
Flashback: A literary device that interrupts the chronological flow of a narrative to present events that occurred at an earlier time, often providing background information or context.
Narrative Structure: The framework that underlies the order and manner in which a story is told, including the arrangement of events and the perspective from which they are presented.
An unreliable narrator is a storytelling device where the credibility of the narrator is compromised, leading readers to question the truth of their account. This technique can create suspense, encourage readers to actively engage with the text, and highlight themes of perception and truth. By presenting a skewed or limited perspective, authors can manipulate the narrative to explore deeper psychological complexities or societal critiques.
First-person narration: A narrative style where the story is told from the perspective of a character using 'I,' which can enhance intimacy but may also introduce bias.
Objective narrator: A narrative voice that presents facts without personal opinions or emotions, allowing readers to form their own interpretations.
Narrative perspective: The viewpoint from which a story is told, influencing how information is presented and perceived by the reader.
Stream of consciousness is a narrative technique that captures the flow of thoughts and feelings as they occur in a character's mind, often in an unstructured or nonlinear fashion. This method allows readers to experience the inner workings of a character's mind, blending their perceptions, memories, and emotions without conventional narrative filters. It plays a significant role in understanding character development and the complexities of human thought, making it essential for analyzing how narratives convey psychological depth.
Interior Monologue: A form of writing that directly expresses a character's inner thoughts and feelings, often presented in a way that mimics natural speech.
Free Indirect Discourse: A narrative style that allows third-person narration to merge with a character's subjective experience, blurring the line between the narrator's voice and the character's thoughts.
Nonlinear Narrative: A storytelling method that does not follow a chronological order, allowing events to be presented out of sequence to reflect the complexities of memory and perception.
An inciting incident is a pivotal moment in a narrative that sets the main plot into motion, introducing the central conflict or challenge faced by the protagonist. This event disrupts the status quo and propels characters into a series of actions and decisions that drive the story forward. Understanding the inciting incident is crucial for analyzing how narratives are structured and how tension and stakes are established early on.
Exposition: The introductory part of a story where characters, setting, and background information are established before the main conflict arises.
Rising Action: The series of events and complications that build tension and develop the central conflict following the inciting incident.
Climax: The turning point in a narrative where the tension reaches its peak, leading to the resolution of the central conflict.
Flat characters are simplistic, one-dimensional characters that are defined by a single trait or idea. They often do not undergo significant development or change throughout the narrative, serving more as a tool for plot advancement or thematic illustration rather than as fully fleshed-out individuals. Their simplicity allows for quick recognition and understanding of their roles within the story, which can be particularly useful in genres that prioritize action over character complexity.
round characters: Round characters are complex, multi-dimensional figures who experience growth and development throughout a narrative, often embodying conflicting traits and emotions.
stock characters: Stock characters are stereotypical figures commonly found in literature and media, often representing familiar archetypes such as the hero, the villain, or the sidekick.
character arc: A character arc refers to the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story, typically seen in round characters who experience change.
Dynamic characters are individuals in a story who undergo significant internal changes, developing in response to the events and experiences they face. This transformation can include changes in beliefs, attitudes, or personality, and it often plays a crucial role in the narrative arc, driving the plot forward and providing depth to the story. Dynamic characters contrast with static characters, who remain unchanged throughout the narrative, highlighting the importance of character development in storytelling.
Static Characters: Characters who do not undergo significant change or development throughout the story, often serving a specific function without evolving.
Character Arc: The journey or progression a character undergoes throughout a story, often involving their growth or transformation from beginning to end.
Protagonist: The main character in a narrative, often a dynamic character, whose experiences and growth drive the plot.
Third-person limited is a narrative perspective where the narrator tells the story from the viewpoint of one character, providing insights into that character's thoughts and feelings while keeping the other characters' inner lives distant. This point of view creates a balance between objectivity and intimacy, allowing readers to connect with the character's experiences while still maintaining some narrative distance. It is a key feature in narratology as it shapes how stories are structured and perceived by readers.
Third-person omniscient: A narrative perspective where the narrator knows all characters' thoughts and feelings, providing a comprehensive view of the story.
First-person narrative: A storytelling technique where the narrator is a character within the story, using 'I' or 'we' to share personal experiences.
Stream of consciousness: A narrative technique that attempts to capture a character's thought processes in a continuous flow, often without conventional structure.
Third-person omniscient is a narrative perspective in which the narrator knows and can describe the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of all characters in a story. This point of view allows for a comprehensive understanding of the plot and the inner workings of each character, enabling the narrator to provide insights into various perspectives and events throughout the narrative.
First-person narrator: A narrative perspective where the story is told from the viewpoint of a character using 'I' or 'we', providing a limited understanding based on that character's experiences.
Limited omniscient: A narrative style where the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character, providing a more focused but restricted view of the story.
Narrative voice: The distinct style or personality of the narrator in a story, which can influence how readers perceive characters and events.
Characterization is the process through which an author reveals the personality, traits, and complexities of a character within a narrative. This can be accomplished through direct statements about the character, their actions, dialogue, thoughts, and interactions with other characters. It serves to create depth and relatability, allowing readers to understand and engage with the characters on a more personal level, which is essential in narratology and structural analysis of texts.
Protagonist: The main character in a story around whom the plot revolves, often facing challenges or conflicts that drive the narrative forward.
Antagonist: A character or force that opposes the protagonist, creating conflict within the story and often serving as a catalyst for character development.
Motivation: The reasons behind a character's actions or behaviors, providing insight into their desires and goals, which can be revealed through characterization.
The monomyth, often referred to as the 'hero's journey', is a narrative structure that outlines a universal pattern shared by many stories and myths across cultures. It typically involves stages such as the call to adventure, trials, transformation, and the return home, emphasizing the hero's growth and development throughout their journey. This concept connects deeply with narratology and structural analysis of texts by providing a framework to analyze how stories are constructed and what archetypal patterns resonate with audiences.
Hero's Journey: A narrative framework that details the stages of a hero's adventure, often following the path outlined in the monomyth.
Archetype: A recurring symbol or motif in literature, representing universal patterns of human nature often seen in the characters and situations within stories.
Narrative Structure: The framework that outlines how a story is organized, including elements like plot, character development, and thematic progression.
Archetypes are universal symbols, themes, or character types that recur across various cultures and literature, representing fundamental human experiences. They serve as foundational elements that shape narratives and influence the reader's understanding of the story, establishing connections to shared cultural memories and psychological patterns.
Myth: A traditional story that explains natural or social phenomena, often featuring gods, heroes, and moral lessons, which can embody archetypal characters and themes.
Motif: A recurring element or idea in a literary work that can help develop the theme and connect to archetypes, providing depth and resonance throughout the narrative.
Hero's Journey: A narrative structure identified by Joseph Campbell that outlines a common pattern of adventure and transformation experienced by archetypal heroes across cultures.