Plot

• Plot is a literary element that describes the structure of a story. It shows a casual arrangement of events and actions within a story
• Plot is a simple story element that is taught at an early age
• Freytag's pyramid is a dramatic structure that shows the rise and fall of a story
• Modified Freytag's pyramid is more flexible and contemporary version of modern story telling
• exposition is the start of the story, the situation before the action starts
• rising action is a series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax
• falling action is all the action which follows the climax
• resolution is the conclusion, the tying together of all the threads
• conflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces
• Flashbacks is a literary or cinematic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative
• the purpose of flashbacks is a technique that bridges time, place, and action to reveal information about the character, or move the story forward
• flashforward is a literary or cinematic device in which the chronological sequence of events is interrupted by the interjection of a future event
• the purpose of flashforwards is to give the reader a glimpse of a possible future for the characters
• foreshadowing is the presentation in a work of literature of hints and clues that tip the reader off as to what is to come later in the work
• the purpose of foreshadowing allows readers to come to certain conclusions (making things more believable) about characters and events within a story
• Subplot is a secondary plot line that is not equal in strength and intensity to the main plot
• Subplot must be relevant to the main plot
• subplot creates the feeling if more life-like man characters. reflects and enhance the action of main plot
• dramatic/progressive plot is a chronological structure which first establishes the setting and conflict, then follows the rising action through a climax
• episodic plot is a chronological ordered structure, consists of a series of loosely related incidents, usually about a chapter or two in length. these are commonly tied together by characters or a common theme
• inter chapters provide a relevant social commentary to solve a problem
• parallel plots are that has main characters as a separate but related story line that merges in the end
• non-linear plot is a technique that is sometimes used in literature wherein events are portrayed out of chronological order. Often use to mimic the structure and recall of human memories