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Narratives

History of Narration or Storytelling

Storytelling is an essential part of human nature. Man is the only creature that tells stories. Man has been telling stories and listening to them since the time he learnt to speak. The storytelling began with oral traditions and in forms of myths, legends, fables, anecdotes, ballads etc. These were told and retold and were passed down from generation to generation and they show the knowledge and wisdom of early people. The basic theme of the above mentioned forms of stories were fears of natural forces, deeds of heroes, gods and goddesses, and they might be told to learn a lesson from an experience. Biblical stories have the primary purpose of teaching spirituality. Most biblical stories were performed in churches to convey spiritual messages to the masses.

Fictional Narratives

This includes novels, plays, short stories and mini sagas.  In each instance the focus of the writing is what the writer’s imagination has created, the world and the situations and the characters he/she has conceived of and written about. Scripts (film, TV and radio) also belong in the fiction narrative category.

Non-Fictional Narratives

A nonfiction narrative, is a true story such as a personal essay or biography, uses storytelling devices such as character, plot and description to tell about a person's life or a significant event.

1.Setting – time and place of a story; can include·geographical location·time period·specific building or room

 

2.    Character -

A.Protagonist  - good guy

B.Antagonist – bad guy

 

3.    Types of Characters – 

Round –     convincing; true to life; has many different and                    sometimes contradictory personality traits. 

Dynamic – undergoes some type of change, often because                    of something that happens to them 

Flat –         stereotyped, shallow, often symbolic; has only                      one or two personality traits 

Static –     does not change in the course of the story.                           Some examples are James Bond and Bella from                   Twilight 

 

4.    Characterization -physical appearance and/or personality. It can be done by the writer or by one of the other characters in the story.

Literary Elements
  • Plot: It is the logical sequence of events that develops a story.
  • Setting: It refers to the time and place in which a story takes place.
  • Protagonist: It is the  main character of story, novel or a play
  • Antagonist: It is the character in conflict with the Protagonist 
  • Narrator: A person who tells the story.
  • Narrative method: The manner in which a narrative is presented comprising plot and setting.
  • Dialogue: Where characters of a narrative speak to one another.
  • Conflict. It is n issue in a narrative around which the whole story revolves.
  • Mood: A general atmosphere of a narrative.
  • Theme: It is central idea or concept of a story.
 

Literary Techniques

1. Imagery: It is the use of figurative language to create visual representations of actions, objects and ideas in our mind in such a way that they appeal to our physical senses. For example:

  • The room was dark and gloomy. -The words “dark” and “gloomy” are visual images.
  • The river was roaring in the mountains. – The word “roaring” appeals to our sense of hearing.

2. Simile and Metaphor: Both compare two distinct objects and draws similarity between them. The difference is that Simile uses “as” or “like” and Metaphor does not. For example:

  • “My love is like a red red rose” (Simile)
  • He is an old fox very cunning. (Metaphor)

3. Hyperbole: It is deliberate exaggeration of actions and ideas for the sake of emphasis. For example:

  • Your bag weighs a ton!
  • I have got a million issues to look after!

4. Personification: It gives a thing, an idea or an animal human qualities. For example:

  • The flowers are dancing beside the lake.
  • Have you see my new car? She is a real beauty!

5. Alliteration: It refers to the same consonant sounds in words coming together. For example:

  • Better butter always makes the batter better.
  • She sells seashells at seashore.

6. Allegory: It is a literary technique in which an abstract idea is given a form of characters, actions or events. For example:

  • “Animal Farm”, written by George Orwell, is an example allegory using the actions of animals on a farm to represent the overthrow of the last of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WW II.  In addition, the actions of the animals on the farm are used to expose the greed and corruption of the Revolution.

7. Irony: It is use of the words in such a way in which the intended meaning is completely opposite to their literal meaning. For example:

  • The bread is soft as a stone.
  • So nice of you to break my new PSP!

Two Kinds of Literary Devices

Literary Devices have two aspects. They can be treated as either Literary Elements or LiteraryTechniques. It will be convenient to define them separately.

 

Literary Elements have an inherent existence in literary piece and are extensively employed by writers to develop a literary piece e.g. plot, setting, narrative structure, characters, mood, theme, moral etc. Writers simply cannot create his desired work without including Literary Elements in a thoroughly professional manner.

 

Literary Techniques, on the contrary, are structures usually a word s or phrases in literary texts that writers employ to achieve not merely artistic ends but also readers a greater understanding and appreciation of their literary works. Examples are:  metaphor, simile, alliteration, hyperbole,allegory etc. In contrast to Literary Elements, Literary Techniques are not unavoidable aspect of literary works.

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