Any narrative, whether it is a novel, short story or film, shares the same elements. No matter what the form, the things that a writer needs to construct a story are the same. By learning these elements of narrative, such as plot, setting and characterization, writers can strengthen their own stories by identifying where one of these elements is missing or weak. Understanding the elements of narrative can also help students gain more insight into literary texts.
Without plot, there is no narrative. Plot is the sequence of events that propels the story. Plot is also composed of several elements, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. The exposition introduces what the story is about, including the characters and setting. The rising action includes events that build up to the climax, which is the turning point of the story. Climax can include some dramatic action, such as when the hero and the villain finally face off, or it can be an epiphany. Falling action is what happens as a result of the climax, leading to the resolution. Writers can also experiment with structure, using flashbacks and flash forwards to change the order of the plot.
Every narrative has to have at least one character. However, characters do not have to be human. They can be animals, personified plants or even fantasy creatures like mermaids or centaurs. Characterization includes not only description of the characters but also key scenes that show their values, their motivations and other important information about them. Dialogue can be included in narrative to enhance characterization such as through dialect and their choice of words, but not all narratives contain dialogue.
Point of View
The point of view of a narrative can have a big impact on how the reader experiences the story. For example, a first-person narrator like the one in "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath can provide insight into how an experience like depression feels firsthand. Changing narrators, a technique used in "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner, can help readers to see a narrative from multiple perspectives, deepening understanding of events and how the characters experience them. Other points of view include second, which references the reader as "you"; third-person limited, which follows the story from one or more characters' perspectives but has limited insight into the characters' thoughts; and third-person omniscient, which can share any thoughts of any characters in the story.
Atmosphere and Tone
Atmosphere takes into account not only the setting of the narrative, such as the time and place, but also the feeling. For example, the atmosphere in "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte is dark and gloomy since the manor is located on foggy moors and the characters have equally dark dispositions. Tone can influence atmosphere as well. Tone is achieved through the voice of the narration, imagery, dialogue and more. For example, the tone in "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift is satirical and irreverent since the intent is to mock religion, government and other sources of authority.
- Google Books: As I Lay Dying
- Project Gutenberg: Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte
- Project Gutenberg: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
- Google Books: The Bell Jar
- Georgia Tech School of Literature, Media and Communication: Elements of Narrative
- University of Washington: Introduction to Short Story Writing: English 284
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