Glossery of Terms Related to Narrative

Narrative
A narrative is a sequence of events that a narrator tells in story form. Anarrator is a
storyteller of any kind, whether the authorial voice in a novel or a friend telling you
about last nights party.
Point of View
The point of view is the perspective that a narrative takes toward the events it describes.
First-person narration: A narrative in which the narrator tells the story from his/her
own point of view and refers to him/herself as I. The narrator may be an active
participant in the story or just an observer. When the point of view represented is
specifically the authors, and not a fictional narrators, the story is autobiographical and
may be nonfictional (see Common Literary Forms and Genres below).
Third-person narration: The narrator remains outside the story and describes the
characters in the story using proper names and the third-person pronouns he, she,
it, and they.

Omniscient narration: The narrator knows all of the actions, feelings, and motivations
of all of the characters. For example, the narrator of Leo Tolstoys Anna Karenina seems
to know everything about all the characters and events in the story.
Limited omniscient narration: The narrator knows the actions, feelings, and
motivations of only one or a handful of characters. For example, the narrator of Lewis
Carrolls Alices Adventures in Wonderland has full knowledge of only Alice.
Free indirect discourse: The narrator conveys a characters inner thoughts while staying
in the third person. Gustave Flaubert pioneered this style inMadame Bovary, as in this
passage: Sometimes she thought that these were after all the best days of her life, the
honeymoon, so-called.

Objective narration: A style in which the narrator reports neutrally on the outward
behavior of the characters but offers no interpretation of their actions or their inner
states. Ernest Hemingway pioneered this style.
Unreliable narration: The narrator is revealed over time to be an untrustworthy source
of information. Humbert in Vladimir Nabokovs Lolitaand Stevens in Kazuo
Ishiguros The Remains of the Day are good examples of unreliable narrators.
Stream-of-consciousness narration: The narrator conveys a subjects thoughts,
impressions, and perceptions exactly as they occur, often in disjointed fashion and
without the logic and grammar of typical speech and writing. Molly Blooms

monologue in the final chapter of James Joyces Ulysses is an example of stream of

consciousness. While stream-of-consciousness narration usually is written in the first
person, it can, by means of free indirect discourse (see above), be written in the third
person, as in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway.
Character
A character is a person, animal, or any other thing with a personality that appears in a
story.
Protagonist: The main character around whom the story revolves. If the protagonist is
admirable, he or she is called the hero or heroine of the story. A protagonist who is not
admirable, or who challenges our notions of what should be considered admirable, is
called an antihero orantiheroine. For example, Willy Loman in Arthur Millers Death of a
Salesman is an antihero because he is ordinary and pathetic, whereas Meursault in
Albert Camuss The Stranger is an antihero because he challenges the traditional
conception of what a hero should be.
Antagonist: The primary character or entity that acts to frustrate the goals of the
protagonist. The antagonist typically is a character but may also be a nonhuman force.
For example, Claudius is the antagonist in Shakespeares Hamlet, whereas the military
bureaucracy is the antagonist in Joseph Hellers Catch-22.
Stock character: A common character type that recurs throughout literature. Notable
examples include the witty servant, the scheming villain, the femme fatale, the trusty
sidekick, the old miser, and so on. A stock character that holds a central place in a
cultures folklore or consciousness may be called an archetype (see Thematic
Meaning, below).
Foil: A character who illuminates the qualities of another character by means of
contrast. In John Keatss Ode to a Nightingale, the swiftly traveling nightingale serves
as a foil to Keatss sleepy, opium-laden narrator.
Plot
A plot is the arrangement of the events in a story, including the sequence in which they
are told, the relative emphasis they are given, and the causal connections between
events.
Elements of a plot: A plot can have a complicated structure, but most plots have the
same basic elements.
1. Conflict: The central struggle that moves the plot forward. The conflict can be the
protagonists struggle against fate, nature, society, or another person. In certain
circumstances, the conflict can be between opposing elements within the protagonist.

2. Rising action: The early part of the narrative, which builds momentum and develops
the narratives major conflict.
3. Climax: The moment of highest tension, at which the conflict comes to a head. The
word climax can refer either to the single moment of highest tension in the plot or,
more generally, to any episode of high tension. Ananticlimax occurs when the plot
builds up to an expected climax only to tease the reader with a frustrating non-event.
Jane Austens novels, such as Sense and Sensibility, are full of romantic anticlimaxes.
4. Falling action: Also called the denouement, this is the latter part of the narrative, during
which the protagonist responds to the events of the climax and the various plot
elements introduced in the rising action are resolved.
5. Reversal: Sometimes called by its Greek name, peripeteia, a reversal is a sudden shift
that sends the protagonists fortunes from good to bad or vice versa.
6. Resolution: An ending that satisfactorily answers all the questions raised over the
course of the plot.
Types of plot: Plots can take a wide variety of forms, ranging from orderly sequences of
clearly related events to chaotic jumbles of loosely connected events.

Chronological plot: Events are arranged in the sequence in which they occur. Ernest
Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea, for example, tells a roughly straightforward
story from beginning to end.
Achronological plot: Events are not arranged in the sequence in which they occur. For
example, Homers Iliad is full of flashbacks and digressions that relate what happened
before and after the central conflict of the poem.
Climactic plot: All the action focuses toward a single climax. AeschylussAgamemnon is
a classic example of a climactic plot.
Episodic plot: A series of loosely connected events. Cervantess Don Quixote is episodic.
Non sequitur plot: More of an anti-plot, the non sequitur plot defies traditional logic
by presenting events without any clear sequence and characters without any clear
motivation. The theater of the absurd (seeLiterary Movements, below) is particularly
famous for its non sequiturs.
Subplot: A secondary plot that is of less importance to the overall story but may serve
as a point of contrast or comparison to the main plot. For example, the subplot
involving Gloucester and his sons in ShakespearesKing Lear serves this function.
Setting
Setting is the location of a narrative in time and space. It may be specifically historical or
geographical, as in the ancient Rome of Robert Gravess I, Claudius, or it may be
imaginary, as in the Neverland of J. M. Barries Peter Pan. The suggestive mood that the

setting may create is called the atmosphere. For example, the open windows of the
nursery inPeter Pan create an atmosphere of innocence and magic.

Pride and Prejudice Theme Analysis: Love

Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice tells a frothy tale of gowns and parties, gossip and confidantes,
distaste and love, and, of course, pride and prejudice. One of the major themes that Austen brings up in
this surprisingly deep work is that of the importance of love. It is held up above practicality, social
etiquette, even familial ties, and shown to be the source of utmost happiness and success. For those who
love, who follow their heart recklessly, a happy ending awaits. Take the protagonist, for example. The
lovely, spunky, sparkling Elizabeth Bennet refuses two marriage proposals throughout the course of the
novel (a shocking and distasteful action for any young lady presented with a practical offer of marriage in
that day) because she does not love the men. The marriages are as practical as could be, the proposed
union with Mr. Collins providing a secure home and social status for not only Elizabeth but also for her
family, and the first, denied offer by Mr. Darcy offering extreme affluence and status. However, Elizabeth
recognizes that Collins could not make [her] happy and that she is the last woman in the world who
would make [him] so (93). She claims that she is a rational creature, but also that she speaks the truth
from [her] heart when she rejects him. She is guided by romance, feeling, happiness, and emotion, a
stark contrast to her dear friend Charlotte, who marries that same ridiculous Collins, with the reason that
marriage was the only honorable provision for well-educated women of small fortune, and however
uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservation from want (107). Charlottes
marriage is looked down upon by Elizabeth and, by extension, Austen (and, most likely, the reader, since
the reader tends to sympathize with Elizabeth), hinting at a distaste for the pure practicality of many
marriages. In contrast, Elizabeth gets a fairy-tale ending, surrounded by those that she loves, far from
those she does not, fabulously wealthy, and completely happy. Her marriage is a union of practicality and
emotion, the ideal marriage, a victory which proves Austen believed wholeheartedly that those who follow
their hearts will achieve their merry end. Regarding the idea that love is placed over social etiquette,
Darcys marriage to Elizabeth was less than prudent on his part, but he did it for love. Elizabeths denial of
Collins was entirely socially unacceptable, but she did it for the sake of love. Darcy and Elizabeths
interactions were entirely awkward and often imprudent, but they acted in their foolish ways because of
love (or lack thereof). Furthermore, love is placed above familial ties when Bingley and Jane wed against
his sisters wishes, Darcy weds against his aunts wishes, and in spite of Elizabeths lackluster family, and
Lydia abandons her family for love (perhaps not the best support for my argument, since her love was
questionable to say the least). Ill just go ahead and embrace the clich: Pride and Prejudice claims that
love conquers all, and also reveals that it is of utmost importance.
The ideal reader should take this theme to heart, closing the book after reading the last page with a smile
on their face and a flutter of hope in their heart for their romantic future. The book champions the idea that
love will succeed, even if it falls flat on its face a few times before it even begins the race. Every reader
wants a romance like Jane or Elizabeths, where the players are attractive and wealthy, amiable and
intelligent, and, above all, in deep, head-over-heels love. They overcome troubles, they help each other
overcome their own issues, they end up happily marriedwhat isnt to like? Essentially, the ideal reader
should view Jane Austens hopeful view of love as an inspiration and an encouragement to encourage the
same in their own life. (Ironically, Austen did just this and ended up a spinster. Perhaps we should take
her advice with a grain of salt.) Furthermore, it should encourage freedom from social etiquette and the
standards we are held to by our peers, from and undesirable ties to others that may inhibit our happiness,
and freedom from mundane practicality. At least, this is the way that Austen would have it. As I mentioned
earlier (albeit sarcastically), we shouldnt take this advice in its entirety without some speculation.

Reading Pride and Prejudice and deciding to live ones life just as the characters do in order to achieve
the same happy end is equivalent to watching Cinderella and expecting the same fairy tale ending. The
tale is just that, a tale. The fact that this is fiction, and not a true-to-life account, means that Austen isnt
necessarily speaking the truth, she is just conveying how she wishes life was. Thus, the universal
reader should read this text and take away a glimmer of optimism, all the while with the understanding
that this isnt reality, its a romance.
Personally, I agree with Jane on this one. I like to believe that I live my life free from societal norms,
seeking out happiness and love around every corner and above practicality. It reminds me of the conflict
that all people go through when determining the path their future will take: should I choose a job based on
the money it will bring in or how happy I will be in it? Honestly, I want to be the person who decides to
choose happiness over money. I do understand that affluence can bring a measure of happiness, in the
sense that it opens doors for adventure and provides connections, as well as simply makes life easier, but
I cant imagine living out my life going to a job every day that I didnt love with all my heart and that didnt
make me happy. So, I want to choose love and happiness over practicality, because I believe that love
does conquer all, and that it is the best source of joy and fulfillment in this world. Furthermore, on a
Christian note, I know that God will provide for me, and thus I need not worry about the material things.
As a child of God, my life is about the spiritual and emotional side of things entirely. Okay, Ive gotten
away from myself a bit. I do understand that Jane Austen is talking about interpersonal love, not love for
an occupation. But, since marriage was a womans job, so to speak, I would want to find love in that job
if I lived in those days as well.