Plot Narrative Elements What is Plot Plot is

Plot { Narrative Elements

{ What is Plot? Plot is a literary term defined as the events that make up a story, particularly as they relate to one another in a pattern, in a sequence through cause and effect, or by coincidence.

{ Gustav Freytag considered plot a narrative structure that divided a story into five parts, like the five acts of a play. Freytag’s pyramid

{ The exposition introduces all of the main characters in the story. It shows how they relate to one another, what their goals and motivations are, and the kind of person they are. Exposition (backstory)

{ Rising Action It starts with the introduction of the conflict. The protagonist understands his goal and begins to work toward it. Smaller problems thwart the characters initial success.

{ Climax The point of climax is the turning point of the story, where the main character makes the single big decision that defines the outcome of their story and who they are as a person.

{ Falling Action The loose ends are being tied up. The conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist.

{ Resolution The resolution comprises events between falling action and the actual ending scene of the drama or narrative and thus serves as the conclusion of the story. Conflicts are resolved. Everything returns to normal.

{ Foreshadowing { Other Forms A literary device in which an author indistinctly suggests certain plot developments that might come later. Foreshadowing Red Herring – a hint designed to mislead the reader. Flashforward – an interjected scene that takes narrative forward in time.

{ In medias res Beginning the story in the middle of a sequence of events In medias res { Odyssey

{ Unreliable Narrator { A beautiful mind The narrator of the story is not sincere, or introduces a bias in his narration and possibly misleads the reader, hiding or minimizing events, characters, or motivations. Unreliable Narrator

{ Cliffhanger The narrative ends unresolved, to draw the audience back to a future episode for the resolution. Cliffhanger { Back to the Future

{ Poetic justice Virtue ultimately rewarded, or vice punished, by and ironic twist of fate related to the character’s own conduct. Poetic Justice { Lion King

{ The Mac. Guffin A physical object (or character) which drives the actions of the characters as they search for it or try to obtain it, but whose actual nature is not important to the story. Plot Devices { Deus ex machina A narrative ending in which an improbable event is used to resolve all problematic situations and bring the story to a (generally happy) conclusion.