structure techniques Flashcards
(12 cards)
Zooming In / Zooming Out
Analysis: The writer deliberately narrows the narrative lens to hone in on a specific moment or detail, heightening its emotional or symbolic significance.
Effect: Encourages the reader to re-evaluate the scene or character, fostering intimacy or significance and emphasizing themes (e.g., isolation, vulnerability, danger).
Shifts in Focus (Character, Setting, Time)
Analysis: This shift creates a dynamic, layered narrative that mirrors the unpredictable nature of experience or the character’s inner turmoil.
Effect: It builds suspense or contrasts perspectives, prompting the reader to question what’s important and why. It also encourages active engagement as the narrative unfolds.
Cyclical Structure
Analysis: The writer crafts a deliberate return to the opening to suggest inevitability, entrapment, or reflection.
Effect: Gives a sense of completeness or futility; may suggest that nothing has changed, reinforcing tragic or reflective tones.
Juxtaposition of Ideas or Perspectives
Analysis: By placing opposites side-by-side, the writer forces the reader to compare and evaluate them critically.
Effect: Highlights conflicts, enhances tension, and adds complexity to the narrative or character motivations.
Narrative Perspective Shift
Analysis: This shift can signify deeper understanding or allow new emotional insights into characters or events.
Effect: Alters the reader’s alignment and empathy, helping them see events from a new or more intimate viewpoint.
Withholding Information / Delayed Revelation
Analysis: The writer controls the flow of information strategically to sustain mystery or tension.
Effect: Creates suspense, encourages curiosity, and makes the final revelation more impactful or shocking.
Volta (Turning Point)
Analysis: Often marked by a shift in focus or tone, this structural change mirrors the internal or external turning point in the narrative.
Effect: Signals a change in stakes, prompting the reader to re-evaluate earlier events or prepare for a new emotional tone.
Use of Repetition or Motif
Analysis: The repetition becomes symbolic, often reinforcing central themes or emotional states.
Effect: Embeds an idea in the reader’s mind; creates a rhythmic cohesion across the narrative and emphasizes what the writer wants you to remember.
Pace Variation (Fast vs Slow)
Analysis: Shifts in pace mirror the character’s psychological state or control the emotional tempo.
Effect: Fast pace builds excitement or chaos; slow pace creates tension, reflection, or intensity.
Flashback / Flashforward
Analysis: The writer disrupts chronological order to reveal important context or foreshadow events.
Effect: Engages the reader’s curiosity; provides emotional depth or creates dramatic irony.
Fragmented Structure / Ellipsis
Analysis: Reflects broken thought processes or trauma; mimics memory or confusion.
Effect: Increases reader engagement by requiring them to fill in gaps; can create tension, unease, or realism.
Shifts in Tone or Mood
Analysis: The writer manipulates the emotional undercurrent to reflect character development or thematic transitions.
Effect: Keeps the reader emotionally involved; provides contrast and enhances dramatic tension.
