Transcript The Narrative Strategy:

The art of telling a
story
ENG 101: Professor Bailey-Kirby
Narrative Conventions
 Narratives are generally written in the first person, that
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is, using I. However, third person (he, she, or it) can also
be used.
Narratives rely on concrete, sensory details to convey
their point. These details (vivid verbs and modifiers)
should create a unified, forceful effect, a dominant
impression.
Narratives tend to SHOW rather than tell.
Narratives apply the four direct methods of character
presentation: appearance, thought, dialogue, and/or
action.
Narratives, as stories, include specific elements, such as
a plot, setting and characters, etc. (See the next slide).
Narrative Elements
 All narratives contain the following elements:
 Plot
 Speaker
 Characters
 Setting
 Theme
 Point of view
Plot
 Plots have a beginning, middle,
 Here's the classic diagram of
and an end (arrangement of
plot structure:
events). In most stories, the events
of the plot can be divided as
follows:
 Exposition: Introduces the
characters, setting, and conflict.
 Rising action: Builds the conflict
and develops the characters.
 Climax: Shows the highest point
of the action (or turning point).
 Denouement or resolution:
Resolves the story and ties up
all the loose ends.
Speaker
 The speaker (also called the personae) is the personality
the writer assumes when telling a story. For example,
you can tell the story as a young girl, an old man, or a
figure from history. You can be anyone you want to be
when you tell a story. You can change size, shape, age,
gender, and even species. For example, you can be your
future self or younger self as your personae/speaker.
 When you become the speaker, you're donning a mask
that allows you to reveal— and conceal—as you will.
Don't confuse the speaker with the writer. Even when
you're telling the story as yourself, you're wearing a
mask/personae.
Characters
 A character is a person or an animal in a story. Main
characters have important roles in the narrative; minor
characters have smaller parts. They usually serve as a
contrast to the main character or to advance the plot. If you
were asked to write a narrative about an event in your life,
ask yourself the following:
 Who are the key players/main characters of your story?
 What role do these main characters play in your story?
 How do the minor characters affect you or the main
characters?
Four Direct Methods of
Character Presentation
 Appearance: gives you the characters looks (scars,
tattoos, etc.
 Thought: helps you get directly inside their heads and
know what they are thinking.
 Dialogue: gives you a sense of how characters talk to
others (conveyed through accent, language, inflection,
or even a talking tick).
 Action: helps you see how characters move and interact
(Are they nervous, excited, patient, etc?).
Setting
 The setting of a story is the time and place where
the events unfold. You can establish the setting
directly or suggest it from details in the story.
 The setting is more than a mere backdrop to the
action. Rather, it serves to underscore the action
and theme.
 The setting may also convey the mood or
atmosphere (emotion/feeling of the work) through
the significant details.
Point of View
• First-person point of view: The narrator is one of the characters in
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the story and explains the events through his or her own eyes, using
the pronouns I and me.
Third-person omniscient point of view: The narrator is not a
character in the story. Instead, the narrator looks through the eyes of
all the characters. As a result, the narrator is omniscient or “allknowing.” The narrator uses the pronouns he, she, and they.
Third-person limited point of view: The narrator tells the story
through the eyes of only one character, using the pronouns he, she,
and they.
(NOTE: Each has its advantages. For example, if you use the firstperson point of view for your narrative, readers see the experience
through your eyes and your eyes only. As a result, the first-person
point of view allows an immediacy and intimacy absent from the
third-person point of view. However, the third-person points of view,
in contrast, allow the writer to achieve distance and some measure
of objectivity. )
Theme
 Effective narratives do more than entertain; they often
suggest a truth about life, a theme. This observation
touches a cord within your readers and makes your
story memorable. Here are some sample themes:
 People are capable of great heroism when put to the
test.
 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 The world is a lonely and bitter place.
 You can't recapture the past.
 It's a dog-eat-dog world.
 You can state the story's theme directly in the story, or
have readers infer it from details about plot,
characters, and setting.