structure Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is a Linear Narrative?
Events unfold in chronological order.
Effect: Clarity, easy to follow, traditional storytelling. Example: Most novels (e.g., To Kill a Mockingbird).
What is a Non-Linear Narrative?
Time jumps (flashbacks, flash-forwards, fragmented timelines).
Effect: Creates mystery, reflects memory, builds suspense. Example: The Godfather Part II (parallel past/present storylines).
What is a Flashback?
A scene set in an earlier time.
Effect: Provides backstory, deepens character motives. Example: 1984 (Winston’s childhood memories).
What is a Flashforward?
A scene set in the future.
Effect: Creates tension, foreshadows events. Example: Breaking Bad (cold opens with future events).
What is Circular Structure?
The story ends where it began.
Effect: Suggests inevitability, reinforces themes. Example: The Great Gatsby (starts and ends with Nick’s reflections).
What is Parallel Structure?
Repeating similar phrases, sentences, or plotlines.
Effect: Emphasizes key ideas, creates rhythm, highlights contrasts. Example: “I came, I saw, I conquered.” (Julius Caesar) and A Tale of Two Cities (“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”).
What is a Shift in Focus / Perspective?
Changing the narrative viewpoint (e.g., first-person to third-person).
Effect: Reveals new insights, creates dramatic irony. Example: The Sound and the Fury (multiple narrators).
What is Foreshadowing?
Hints at future events.
Effect: Builds suspense, prepares the reader. Example: In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo says, “My mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars…” (predicts his fate).
What is Juxtaposition?
Placing contrasting ideas side by side.
Effect: Highlights differences, creates irony. Example: Macbeth – “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
What is Repetition?
Repeating words or phrases.
Effect: Emphasizes importance, creates rhythm. Example: Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
What is a Motif?
A recurring symbol or idea.
Effect: Reinforces themes. Example: Light/darkness in Romeo and Juliet.
What is Climax?
The most intense moment in a story.
Effect: Creates emotional payoff. Example: The duel in Hamlet.
What is Anti-Climax?
A disappointing or abrupt resolution.
Effect: Creates irony or satire. Example: The Sopranos (cut-to-black ending).
What is In Medias Res?
Starting a story in the middle of action.
Effect: Grabs attention, creates intrigue. Example: The Odyssey (begins with Odysseus already lost at sea).
What is Stream of Consciousness?
Mimicking unfiltered thoughts.
Effect: Creates intimacy, reflects chaos. Example: Ulysses by James Joyce.
What is a Framing Device?
A narrative that ‘frames’ another story.
Effect: Adds layers of meaning. Example: The Canterbury Tales (pilgrims telling stories).
