Narrative Structure

How would Gustav Freytag, a 19th century playwright, feel about the proliferation of triangles modeled after his narrative structure analysis of the five-act play? I don’t know, but there are a lot of products for it on TpT.

The theory itself, that narrative structure consists of 5 parts is beautiful and precise. The worksheets, however, make me feel tense, and they can rob narrative structure of its depth. Let’s examine each part for possible reading and writing explorations and how it merges with literary knowledge.

Exposition and Inciting Event

I teach this as

• who/what
• where
• when

This section ends with the introduction of the problem. Many call this the inciting incident, but I prefer inciting event. A helpful frame for students is, “Character’s life was normal until…happened.” So, as we read the beginning of a narrative, this is what I tell them to find these components. Usually, they can find them even if they don’t know much about them (Where is West Egg?). They can even infer (e.g. it is snowing, so it is winter in a place that gets snow). Once we’ve gathered what we can, I provide any missing pieces they need to engage deeper with the text.

• cultural understanding–relating to race, gender, sexuality, religion, language, etc.
• historical and social context–focus on what’s most important and ask what they remember from history classes to build interdisciplinary connections. If set in the future, students can still build a sense of context.
• human relations–usually they know about this (e.g. parent-child relationships), so it is more about drawing the information to the surface.
• identity and personal development–this is the character’s “before” stage. What are they like? In what ways would they benefit from growth?
• literary touchstones–make any connections to other texts they know that start similarly. If this is an older text, you can explore its influence.

In this stage, students can give one-word ideas that they think the text will explore, the seeds of theme.

If students are writing narratives, they can outline the who/what/where/when/problem that will be introduced in their writing.

Rising Action and Climax

I teach this as the how and why. The character(s) will attempt to resolve the problem from the inciting event.

• Why must it be resolved?
• How is resolve attempted?
• How do the attempts build to get increasingly worse?

This section ends with the climax. Then we can explore how everything has collided and how there seems like no hope of a solution. We can consider

• cultural understanding–How does culture increase the likelihood of experiencing the problem? What cultural capital enables the character to uniquely solve the problem?
• historical and social context–How does history and society exacerbate the problem? How does it limit or widen the possibilities for solutions?
• human relations–How are relationships improving or worsening the conflict?
• identity and personal development–How are they characters being driven closer to confronting their worst qualities?
• literary touchstones–make any connections to other texts they know that have similar conflicts. If this is an older text, you can explore its influence.

In this stage, students can turn the one-word ideas from the beginning into statements or questions that the text seems to be raising.

If students are writing narratives, they can outline the how/why/climax that will be introduced in their writing.

Falling Action and Resolution

Students get that this is “the end,” but we can push their thinking.

• Why did the writer choose this way to end?
• What are the alternate endings, and why are they less suitable?
• Who or what has changed from the beginning?
• What questions are left unanswered and why?

Consider

• cultural understanding–How has the character grown closer to their own culture? How have they grown critical of the expectations of their culture? Can we appreciate or examine our own cultures in response?
• historical and social context–What commentary is the author offering on their own time period? What does this context teach us about our own?
• human relations–What relationships have severed or strengthened? What lessons do they offer for our relationships?
• identity and personal development–What lessons has the character learned (or not)? Are there any lessons or encouragements we can take from the text for our lives?
• literary touchstones–make any connections to other texts they know that have similar resolutions or themes. Which authors and artists agree? Who would disagree with this text? If an older text, what is its lasting impact and why?

In this stage, students can revise the statements or questions to account for the text’s ending.

If students are writing narratives, they can outline their endings, especially accounting for any changes. Ideally, they would brainstorm multiple ways to end before choosing the best one for the focus of the work.

Why Teach Literature?

Literature is the deepest well of knowledge. It merges the facts with the human mysteries we return to again and again. By approaching narrative structure in this manner, we cultivate an appreciation for the ancient storytelling that has captivated us and unites us as humans. While not all cultures and writings follow this order of narrative structure (nor should they), it can be used to deepen our understanding of what’s valued in narrative and by whom.

I have two products that use narrative structure to teach texts, one for book clubs and one for whole-class novels.