Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Study of Literature > narrativity > Flashcards

narrativity Flashcards

(76 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

What is Ubiquity?

A

constantly being present (omnipresent)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is the Ubiquity of Narratives?

A
  • being omnipresent
  • story-telling is a fundamental human activity, constantly taking place
  • meaning-making process, a way to make sense of the world -> cognitive view on literature
  • story-telling occurs in all areas of life & in ALL genres/media
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the two essential Principles of Narrativity?

A
  • Chronology: sequence of events
  • Causality: connectedness of events -> one thing leads to another

Events: change of state, from A to B

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is a Narrative?

A

multiple events in a time sequence (Chronology), that build on each other (Causality)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What does mediation mean?

A

no direct access to story -> we experience it through a narrator, who shapes our experience

distance between story and reader

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is a story?

A

mediated succession of events

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is the narrator/speaker?

A

NOT the author
fictional audience

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What happens in literary story telling (regarding the narrator)?

A

Author creates an innerfictional speaker/Narrator/Lyrical I who tells a story about something which is directed to an innerfictional audience/addressee

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the story level from a discourse perspective?

A
  • Action
  • Local setting
  • Characters
  • Temporal setting
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are the different types of stories regarding Action - Plot Structure?

A
  • teleological plot
  • cyclical
  • episodic
  • static
  • internal (psychological) vs. external (physical) plotlines
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are examples for teleological plots in different types of stories?

A
  • Freytag Triangle Quest
  • Coming of Age story (=Entwicklungsroman)

(telos = goal, towards a goal)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is a cyclical type of story?

A

everything is fine, something disrupts harmony, get back harmony; story ends where it started

e.g. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is an episodic type of story?

A

no overall trajectory, but hero who stubles to one adventure ot the next, no deeper connection

TV series

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is a static type of story?

A

nothing changes

Samuel Beckett ist da so ein Patient

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are the five elements of freytag’s pyramid/triangle?

A
  1. Exposition
  2. Rising action
  3. Climax
  4. Falling Action
  5. Resolution/Denouement

general structure of tragedy

Expo - intro world, characters, backstory, ends in inciting incident
Rising Action - majority of text conflict and complications, build up
Climax - highest tension, turning point, success/failure
Falling Action - aftermath/consequence of climax
Resolution - the end, tying up loose ends

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What’s the principle of the Quest?

A

goal is practically being told to the characters/reader

LOTR, Zelda

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is a plot?

A

string of events relating to each other through cause and effect

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are multiple plot lines connected through?

A

causally connected through
- character(s)
- common theme
- hierarchy: main plot vs. subplot

hierarchy in Hunger Games: revolution (main) vs. romance (sub)

contrast (=two plotlines are very different from each other in tone, theme, stakes, or character goals e.g. subplot is funny and main plot is sad asf) vs. correspondence (subplot mirrors elements of subplot -> Harry Potters friendship helps him in fight)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is the local setting?

A
  • fundamental cognitive pattern to understand the world
  • notions of space used to make sense of the abstract
  • semanticised space (=carries meaning), text gives space meaning
  • text as a spatial system -> correspondences & constrasts
  • only when character transgresses form one semanticised space into another is it a process

e.g. LOTR - hobbit cave to Saurons fkn mountain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is Characterization?

A

character grouping (acc. to correspondences & contrasts) -> age, attitudes, behaviour
-> Character’s position within a system of characters
- flat vs. round = one-dimensional vs. pluri-dimensional
- static vs. dynamic (changes or doesn’t)
- main character vs. minor character
- Protagonist vs. Antagonist
- Character types (acc. to function) -> Confidant/e, blocking character, foil character

confidante = someone to confide in
blocking character = 2 ppl want to marry -> parent blocks
foil character = emphasize a feature of the MC e.g. Dr. Watson

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What are the types of characterisation?

A

Who characterises whom how in what context?
- narratorial (by the narrator) vs. figural (by a character)
- explicit vs. implicit
- auto- vs. altero-characterisation
- unreliable characterisations

context: private, public, absent other, present other

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What’s the difference between explicit & implicit types of characterisation?

A
  • explicit: descriptive statements, adjectives
  • implicit: non-verbal/verbal behavior, appearance (‘show don’t tell’)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What’s the difference between auto- and altero-characterisation?

A
  • auto-characterisation: they characterise themselves
  • altero-characterisation: someone else characterises them
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is an unreliable characterisation?

A

discrepancy between contents of characterisation and actual state of affairs -> reader decides on basis of context and world knowledge

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What are the categories of Time in Literature?
- Order (When?) - Duration (How long?) - Frequeny (How often?) | literary art: time is vital dimension, language & meaning construction ## Footnote concerns relation between discourse time and story time, many potential author choices
26
What characterises Order in temporal narrative Fiction?
- Chronology (in order) vs. Anachrony (out of order) - Flashback (analepsis) - Flashforward (prolepsis) - objective vs. subjective anachrony (factual vs. imaginary) ## Footnote Anachrony includes Analepsis & Prolepsis
27
What are the functions of Anachrony?
- Interest - Unpredictability - Mystery - Tension
28
What characterises Duration in temporal narrative fiction?
relation between time read (discourse time) and clocktime in fictional world (story time) -> efficiency, tension - Ellipsis/cut - Summary/Speed up - Scene - Stretch/Slow down - Pause
29
What happens in Ellipsis/Cut in Duration?
0 discourse time but storytime passes -> something is left out
30
What happens in Summary/Speed up in Duration?
Discourse shorter than storytime -> narrator concentrates, straightens presentation, summarises things
31
What happens in Scenes in Duration?
Storytime and Discourse time are the same | dialogue, sports commentary
32
What happens in Stretch/Slow down in Duration?
Discourse time is longer than storytime | slow motion in film e.g. Ulysees
33
What happens in Pause in Duration?
action stops, discourse continues -> descriptions on space, narratorial comments/abstract arguments
34
How often does something happen & how often is it narrated (Frequency)?
- singulative: only happened once, only presented once - repetitive: narrates several times what happens once (multi POV) - multi-singulative: narrates multiple times what happens multiple times (repetition/repetitive effect) - iterative: narrated once, happened more often (habitual actions)
35
What are the three circles regarding Narration?
- Level of fictional communication: character to character - Level of fictional mediation: narrator to addressee - Level of non-fictional communication: author to reader
36
What is the Matrix Narrative?
main narrator tells a story (frame narrative/first degree) in which character tells another story (hypo-narrative/second degree) | e.g. Canterbury Tales -> religious pilgrimage
37
What does the Narrative Situation do?
- shapes the level of mediation - concerns the way a story is mediated (Mediation) - Form, Format, Focalisation, View, Mode
38
What is the definition of the Form of narration?
Erzählform, voice -> where the narrator is situated in relation to the fictional world about whom the story is told
39
What are the types of Form of Narration?
- Autodiegetic: 1st person narration, protagonist of story - Homodiegetic: 1st person narration, non-protagonist character witnessing the story - Heterodiegetic: 3rd person narration (not part of the story)
40
What is Diegesis?
Story/World in which story is taking place
41
What is the Format of Narration?
Erzählformat, shape of narrator character - overt vs. covert - I as narrator vs. I as character - Degree of narrator's knowledge compared to characters -> omniscience - same degree of knowledge - limited knowledge - Reliable vs. Unreliable
42
What's the difference between overt and covert in the Format of Narration?
- Overt: direct, talks to narratee, often addresses readership, may refer to themselves in 1st person, character in themselves, meta-narrative - Covert: doesn't address narratee, neutral, no comments
43
What is Focalisation of Narration?
Perspective/Point of View (POV) - who sees isn't who narrates - point of 'view': seeing, feeling, knowing, believing, remembering
44
What are the two types of Focalisation of Narration?
- External focalisation: extradiegetic level, godlike omniscience, no limited perspective - Internal focalisation: intradiegetic level, info which can realistically be known by focalisers, biased & limited perspective | internal e.g. Hunger Games we only read what character experiences ## Footnote internal e.g. Hunger Games we only read what character experiences -> narrator becomes 'invisible'
45
What is a Focaliser?
character within the story whose focus of perception is (temporarily) taken over by the narrator
46
What is the View of Narration?
Does the reader get to know the characters' thoughts? - Inside view: direct access to feelings, thoughts, etc. - Outside view: only character actions are observed
47
What is the Mode of Narration?
way of presenting an event - strong mediation vs. no/little narrational mediation - Telling (diegesis; narrative mode): we hear narrator's voice -> narrative mode, descriptive mode, argumentative mode - Showing (mimesis; dramatic mode): we see character's discourse (in direct speech)
48
What is Discourse in Narrativity?
words uttered & words thought | patchwork structure ## Footnote narrator's discourse & character's discourse
49
What is the basic structure of Discourse?
Character's discourse is presented within narrator's discourse
50
What are the two types of Inquit-formula/tag & act of speech, thought or perception?
- Verba dicendi: Speech - Verba cogitandi & percipiendi: Thoughts, feelings, perception
51
What are examples of Verba dicendi & Verba cogitandi & percipiendi?
- Verba dicendi: she said, asked, replied, muttered, confessed, announced, promised, claimed, remarked - Verba cogitandi & percipiendi: she thought, realized, felt, heard, remembered, imagined, dreamed
52
How do we characterise Direct Discourse?
- Tagged & untagged - Verbatim rendering of speech/thought ## Footnote 'What are you doing?', she shouted. He thought: 'I don't know'
53
How do we characterise Indirect Discourse?
- 3rd person - Tagged & Subordinate clause -> indirect speech - summarizes, interprets, grammatically straightens the character's language - aligns character's discourse to the point of view of the narrator -> compression | Mary wondered **what she should do.**
54
How do we characterise Free Indirect Discourse (FID)?
- hybrid: direct (emotion, wording) & indirect speech (tense, pronouns) - 3rd person - Deixis retained but transposed (here becomes there, now becomes then) - Tense equals indirect speech - Main clause/syntax retained - often untagged - Evaluatives, expressives as in direct speech ## Footnote Did she not love him at all? What should he do? Why for God's sake had she not talked to him?
55
How do we characterise the Stream of Consciousness?
- imitates the workings of mind - incomplete sentences, non-coherence, alogicality - untagged - 1st person - 'raw' experience, authentic thought process
56
What are the typical narrative situations?
- Authorial narrative situation (auktoriale ES) - First-person narrative situation (Ich-ES) - Figural narrative situation (personale ES) | ES = Erzählsituation von Stanzl ## Footnote also camera eye narration
57
How do we characterise the Authorial narrative situation?
- Form: extradiegetic, 3rd person - Format: overt, omniscient, reliable narrator - Focalisation: external perspective, 'godlike', no Focaliser - View: both inside and outside possible - Mode: changes between telling & showing, mode of telling dominant
58
How do we characterise the First person narrative situation?
- Form: autodiegetic, 1st person - Format: overt, I as narrator has superior knowledge vis-a-vis character, generally limited knowledge, both reliability and unreliability possible - Focalisation: external, internal possible - View: both inside and outside view possible - Mode: changes between telling and showing ## Footnote Focalisation: External (when focus on I as narrator, erzählendes Ich), internal (when focus on l as character, erlebendes Ich) View: inside (mostly narrator-character), outside (of other characters)
59
How do we characterise the Figural narrative situation?
- Form: heterodiegetic, 3rd person - Format: covert narrator, focaliser has limited knowledge & often unreliable - Focalisation: internal, centre of perspective lies with intradiegetic focaliser not with narrating instance = split between who sees and who speaks - View: inside view (only focaliser's consciousness) and outside view of all other characters - Mode: showing dominant | internal focalisation bc focalizer character not aware he focalizer ## Footnote often emotional -> flashbacks, personal past (reminiscence) and personal future (conjecture), slice-of-life story -> average day in average person's life, familiarising articles -> the table instead of a table
60
What do Narratives do?
they tell a story
61
What is the definition of Narrativity?
Elements of form and content that characterise narrative texts that are grouped together
62
What does structuralist narrative theory assume?
narrative text are characterised in a chronologically organised sequence of events ## Footnote narrative texts differ from lyric bc they have a plot
63
What is Experienciality?
Monika Fludernik defined Narrativity as Experienciality, as a kind of real-life experience because stories are always accounts of experiences
64
What does the term character perspective mean and what are his elements?
spectrum of characteristics and attitudes of a particular character - knowledge of the character - his/her psychological disposition - his/her values and norms
65
What do characters function as?
agents of the action
66
What is a story transformed into?
a plot ## Footnote 'The King died and then the Queen died.' -> story 'The King died, and then the Queen died of grief' -> plot
67
What is the smallest plot unit?
An event, they propel the action and bring changes in the situation of characters
68
What did Roland Barthes do in order to classify events?
He classified them after importance within the plot - kernels/cardinal functions - catalysts/satellites
69
What are kernels/cardinal functions?
they play a constitutive, propelling role within the plot, they open narrative options
70
What is a Catalyst/Satellite?
Events that merely embellish the central plot sequence, their omission would not disrupt the logical sequence of narrative ## Footnote Events can follow one another -> chain but can also be embedded -> story within a frame narrative
71
How can novels begin?
- Birth of protagonist (ab ovo beginning) -> launch of narrative is somewhere in middle of action (in media res) - Beginning with end of story -> gradually revealing conditions of beginning (in ultimas res)
72
What does exposition include?
information concerning time, place, characters, necessary prehistory | integrate vs. isolated exposition ## Footnote Integrated exposition works well in fast-paced, character-driven narratives where maintaining immersion is crucial. Isolated exposition is more suited to works where detailed world-building or conceptual frameworks need to be established upfront or outside the main plot.
73
What are the techniques for novel endings?
- Closed: all problems are solved - Open: conflict unresolved, fate of characters left open - Expected ending: poetic justice, reward, punishment - Unexpected intervention of external agency which wasn't involved in plot before: deus ex machina ending
74
What is the camera-eye technique?
from film by Hemingway and is alleged to convey authenticity which is wrong because it's not at all neutral or representation of reality
75
What is the second person narration?
to address a character who is involved in the events of narrative
76
What are signs for unreliable narration?
- Contradictions within narrator's comments - Repeated ocurrence of subjective comments - addresses the reader - memory lapses - narrator's instance on his/her own credibility

Study of Literature (5 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions