WHAT IS A NARRATIVE SUPERSTRUCTURE? - LITERATURE - 2025

The narrative superstructure basically consists of two things: the content of a story and the form used to tell that story. Two common ways of describing these two parts of the narrative structure are the story and the plot.

With history we talk about the raw materials of dramatic action, which could be described in chronological order. Plot refers to how the story is told.

If you want to analyze the narrative structure, it is convenient to use the questions "who", "what" and "where". The 'how' and 'when' questions are used to examine the structure of the plot.

Conventionally, both story and plot are described in terms of how a character's life is interrupted by an event or change in their everyday situation. This causes a series of conflicts that the character must face. The classical narrative structure consists of three parts: exposition, climax, and resolution.

Parts of the narrative structure

1- Exposure

The exhibition introduces the reader to two components of the story:

1. The personalities of the main characters.

1. The space or environment in which these characters live.

Every story should have an exposition, but not necessarily at the beginning. Many fictions, especially those related to mysteries, begin in the middle of the action and then explain who the characters are and what their space implies.

2- Climax

The climax of a classic narrative culminates the narrative conflict, which requires resolution. The central puzzle, long overdue, demands to be solved.

The climaxes are the most concentrated moment of the narrative conflict, but they are not typically the end of the story. Classic stories typically incorporate a short resolution to answer any outstanding questions.

3- Resolution

Up to the point of resolution, the puzzles have been constantly delayed and the narrative action has steadily increased. In resolution, instead, the enigmas are solved and the narrative action (or conflict) diminishes.

If a story ends without answering your questions and the ending is ambiguous or open, it is a narrative opening ending. For the most part, narrative openness only exists in non-classical narratives.

4- The plot diagram

In novels, novels, and short stories, the typical pattern of three or five parts of a story occurs. This is known as the plot diagram. It is the foundation of many structures and is the most commonly used. It can also be applied to other forms of media, such as movies and television shows.

A similar diagram can be used to understand patterns in drama or games. This is known as the five act structure. Shakespeare was famous for structuring his plays in five acts: Act I is the introduction, Act II is the rising action, Act III the climax, Act IV the falling action, and Act V the resolution or denouement.

Furthermore, the narrative structure used for epics and some myths, legends, folk tales, and fairy tales is often called the "hero's journey."

Not all stories conform to this structure, but it is commonly used for this type of storytelling when the protagonist is considered a "hero."

A famous example would be The Odyssey, the Greek epic where the hero is forced to live lost at sea due to the ill will of Poseidon.

Modern examples can be found in animated Disney adventure movies such as Toy Story or Finding Nemo.

Narrative structure of a work

Works of fiction originated in ancient Greece. Aristotle was one of the first to write about drama and describe its three segments: beginning, middle, and end.

Over time, the dramas evolved, and the Roman poet Horace advocated five acts. Many centuries later, a German playwright, Gustav Freytag, developed the five-act structure commonly used today to analyze classical and Shakespearean dramas.

The structure of the three acts

Aristotle believed that every piece of poetry or drama must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. These divisions were developed by the Roman Aelius Donatus, and were called Protasis, Epitasis and Catastrophe.

The three-act structure has seen a revival in recent years, in the blockbuster movies and hit TV shows that have embraced it.

The structure of the five acts

The five-act structure expands the classic divisions. Shakespeare's plays are especially known for following this structure. The form of a five-act structure is as follows:

Act 1: The Exhibition

Here, the audience learns the setting (time / place), the characters develop, and a conflict is introduced.

Act 2: Increasing Action

The action of this act leads the audience to climax. It is common for complications to arise or for the protagonist to encounter obstacles.

Act 3: The climax

This is the turning point of the work. The climax is characterized by a greater amount of suspense.

Act 4: Downward Action

Here the story is coming to an end and any unknown details or plot twists are revealed.

Act 5: Resolution

This is the end result of the drama. Here the authors' tone on their subject is revealed. Sometimes there is a moral or a lesson to be learned.

Hero's journey

The Hero's Journey is a narrative structure known for epic poems or travels. The most notable is Homer's Odyssey. The Hero's Journey is a slightly more complex diagram that follows a similar pattern to the plot diagram.

The Hero's Journey is an archetypal narrative structure with several stages in which a hero drifts to completion.

Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer, created this cycle after researching and reviewing numerous myths and stories from different times and regions of the world.

What he found was that they all share the same fundamental principles. This spawned "The Hero's Journey." The most basic version has 12 steps, while the more detailed versions can have up to 17.

References

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