Narrative theory Flashcards
(28 cards)
Define protagonist
the main character, the person the audience identifies with
Define Antagonist
The force against the protagonist
What are the 4 types of conflict
- character vs. character
- Character vs. self
- character vs. environment
- Character vs. supernatural (anything unexplained)
Define plot
The series of events that make up the story
What are the main components of a story
plot, conflict, characters
What is the introduction
the first stage of the story arc. This is where characters and setting are usually introduced
Define the antecedent action
It’s like a prologue, the information given before the story starts
Define setting
The time and place the story takes place
1st person POV
seeing the world through the eyes of a character, hearing what they hear, and knowing what they think.
2nd person POV
the reader is directly addressed. A key word is YOU.
3rd person limited
The reader witnesses the story from the POV of one character
3rd person omniscient
The reader witnesses the story from the POV of many characters while knowing their thoughts
3rd person objective
The reader hovers over many characters but doesn’t know any thoughts or feelings
define the inciting incident
The moment where the primary conflict is introduced.
define suspense
A mixture of curiosity, surprise and shock
define dilemma
a choice a character has to make where all the options are undisireable
define mystery
something a character has to solve or be answered throughout the story
define plot manipulation
the author makes something happen that is really unlikely the audience doesn’t believe it
Define artistic unity
the plot being overall cohesive
what are the two types of characterization
Direct presentation: the author tells you what a character is like
indirect presentation: the author shows you what they are like based on what they say
what are the 3 factors of convincing characters
- consistency
- Motivation
- Plausibility
What is verbal irony
Sarcasm, means one thing, says another
what is situational irony
when something the opposite of what you expected to happen, happens
what is dramatic irony
when the audience knows something the characters don’t