Narrative Techniques Explained

Understanding narrative techniques is essential for both writers and readers. These techniques are tools that help writers convey their messages and engage their audiences in both fiction and non-fiction.

Narrative Technique vs. Narrative Structure

• Narrative Structure: The overall blueprint or plan for a story. Common structure: Linear (chronological), often following Freytag's Pyramid (Introduction, Conflict, Climax, Resolution, Conclusion).
• Narrative Techniques: The individual elements or bricks used within the structure to build the story.

Categories of Narrative Techniques

1. Character
2. Perspective
3. Plot
4. Setting
5. Style
6. Theme

25 Narrative Techniques with Examples

1. Setting

• Definition: The environment where the story takes place, often influencing the protagonist.
• Example: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

2. Foreshadowing

• Definition: Hints or clues about future events in the story.
• Example: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

3. Cliffhanger

• Definition: Leaving the story unresolved, often to entice readers to continue.
• Example: The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.

4. Flashback/Flash Forward

• Definition: Interjecting scenes from the past or future into the story.
• Example: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

5. Red Herring

• Definition: A misleading clue, often used in mystery genres.
• Example: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

6. Epiphany

• Definition: A character's sudden realization.
• Example: Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

7. First-Person Narrator

• Definition: The story is told from the perspective of a character, often the protagonist.
• Example: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

8. Backstory

• Definition: Information about events prior to the main story.
• Example: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

9. Author Surrogate

• Definition: A character representing the author's personal views.
• Example: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

10. Repetitive Designation

• Definition: Repeated references to a character or object indicating its importance.
• Example: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

11. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

• Definition: Predictions that come true due to characters' actions influenced by the prediction itself.

12. Unreliable Narrator

• Definition: A narrator who misleads readers, often due to bias.
• Example: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

13. Narrative Hook

• Definition: An engaging start to a story that entices readers to continue.
• Example: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

14. Allegory

• Definition: A symbolic story reflecting human experiences.
• Example: The Tortoise and the Hare.

15. Hyperbole

• Definition: Extreme exaggeration to create a strong impression.
• Example: Old Times on the Mississippi by Mark Twain.

16. Sensory Detail

• Definition: Descriptive language to engage the five senses.
• Example: The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe.

17. Onomatopoeia

• Definition: Words that sound like what they describe.

18. Parody

• Definition: Humorous imitation of another work or style.
• Example: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

19. Oxymoron

• Definition: Contradictory terms used together.

20. Anthropomorphism or Personification

• Definition: Attributing human traits to non-humans.

21. Pathetic Fallacy

• Definition: Reflecting a character's emotions through the environment.

22. Multiperspectivity

• Definition: Multiple viewpoints or narrators in a story.
• Example: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

23. Metaphor

• Definition: Figurative language to describe something by comparing it to something else.
• Example: As You Like It by William Shakespeare.

24. Story Within a Story

• Definition: A narrative containing subplots or mini-stories.
• Example: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

25. Plot Twist

• Definition: An unexpected development in the story.
• Example: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

Understanding these techniques can significantly enhance both writing and reading experiences.