Features of a narrative text
The novel is written in prose, though it can include poetic elements as well.
It is a narrative, so it tells a story with characters, action and a plot.
Story and plot
A narrative text is made up of a sequence of events, called a story. The author combines those in
di erent ways using ashbacks, anticipation of events, digressions or by omitting details of the
story. The original sequence of events is the plot.
The pattern includes four stages:
- The introduction
- The breakdown
- The development to the climax
- The end
Setting
It is the place and the time of the story.
Places can be interior or exterior and deal with the description of the landscape, interiors and
objects. Time settings refer to the time of the day, the season etc.
The cinematic technique
Cinematic novelists anticipated cinema by using the ‘camera eye’ and ‘camera movement’,
moving into their subjects using a zoom-like e ect followed by close-ups from the city to the
street etc.
Narrator
It is an essential element, the so-called speaking voice. It isn’t the author of the book, it is rather
the voice that tells the story. It can be internal or external. It can also be rst-person or third-
person.
First-person narrator
It employs the ‘I’ mode, which can coincide with a character in the story or the protagonist.
Third-person narrator
It tells the story from an outside point of view. They can be obtrusive when they make personal
remarks or comment on some topics of the story. The narrator is unobtrusive when they know
what happens but do not infermiere with the story.
Omniscient narrator
They know the feelings and thoughts of every character in the story. By using this method, the
author can bring all the characters to life without interfering with the story.
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The novel is written in prose, though it can include poetic elements as well.
It is a narrative, so it tells a story with characters, action and a plot.
Story and plot
A narrative text is made up of a sequence of events, called a story. The author combines those in
di erent ways using ashbacks, anticipation of events, digressions or by omitting details of the
story. The original sequence of events is the plot.
The pattern includes four stages:
- The introduction
- The breakdown
- The development to the climax
- The end
Setting
It is the place and the time of the story.
Places can be interior or exterior and deal with the description of the landscape, interiors and
objects. Time settings refer to the time of the day, the season etc.
The cinematic technique
Cinematic novelists anticipated cinema by using the ‘camera eye’ and ‘camera movement’,
moving into their subjects using a zoom-like e ect followed by close-ups from the city to the
street etc.
Narrator
It is an essential element, the so-called speaking voice. It isn’t the author of the book, it is rather
the voice that tells the story. It can be internal or external. It can also be rst-person or third-
person.
First-person narrator
It employs the ‘I’ mode, which can coincide with a character in the story or the protagonist.
Third-person narrator
It tells the story from an outside point of view. They can be obtrusive when they make personal
remarks or comment on some topics of the story. The narrator is unobtrusive when they know
what happens but do not infermiere with the story.
Omniscient narrator
They know the feelings and thoughts of every character in the story. By using this method, the
author can bring all the characters to life without interfering with the story.
ff
fl ff fi
