Narratives that Shape our World: Narrative terms Flashcards
Rarely used - a reversal of the time sequence from ending to beginning
Reverse chronology
The insertion of the past events - can be part of linear narrative
Flashback
The story follows the order of the events from beginning, middle to end (also known as chronological)
Linear structure
Also called a grand narrative: this story promotes the idea of the need for social stability through universal values
Meta narrative
Leaves the ending up to the responder
Open structure
A recurring story of how humans perceive the world
Archetypal story
A narrative that captures the mundane life
Slice of life
A narrative that has within it a second narrative that reflects the first but offers contrast
Parallel plots
A signpost: anticipating or hinting subtly at something that will happen
Foreshadowing
The ending is final. All strands are connected
Closed structure
A narrative driven by letters
Epistolary
A form of fiction where the responder makes choices that influence the resolution
Interactive narrative
A short story that leaves an impression: an image of a character; perhaps random moments that create a picture
Vignette
Background on a character or events that the responder needs to understand the plot
Backstory
A narrative that is self-aware of the act of narration
Meta fiction
A momentIn life with the feature of intense realism often open ended
Realism
A single story is told through the series of episodes
Episodic
Story of heroic deeds, often in poetic form
Epic narrative
End where it begins
Circular structure
A story within a story; consider Frankenstein or Heart of Darkness: for example, a character is in courage to share a story
Framed narrative
Narration based on the thinking of the protagonist as things occur
Stream of consciousness
The movement of a story towards a resolution
Story arc
