ENGL 153
January 18th
Lecture 2: The Truth About Stories, Narrative Theory and Storytelling
Required readings: The Truth About Stories by Thomas King
Components of a Narrative
● Narrator - the storyteller
● Characters - persons within the dramatic work
● Setting - where the story takes place
● Theme - concept or idea asserted in the narrative
● Plot - events and actions in the narrative
Types of Narrator
● Third-Person Narrator, who “outside the story proper who refers to all the characters in
the story by name.” This narrator talks to the reader.
○ Omniscient: has access to the character’s thoughts and ideas
○ Limited-omniscient: observes the character but has no insight to thoughts and
ideas (keeps the reader at a distance)
● First-Person Narrator is when “the narrator speaks as ‘I,’ and is to a greater or lesser
degree a participant in the story, or else is the protagonist of the story.
Types of Characters: characters are largely defined by their thoughts, actions, and dialogue
within the narrative. The narrator dictates the reader’s opinions on the character.
● Flat character: a two-dimensional character that tends to serve a single purpose for the
story, and more importantly does not seem to change greatly as the plot progresses.
● Round character: a more fully developed character, often the main character (or
characters) and marked by their complexity. They often change as the plot progresses.
Theme
● Broadly defined, a theme is a general concept or doctrine, which an imaginative work is
designed to involve and make persuasive to the reader. It is the central idea of the work.
○ For example, the theme of Othello is jealous
Motif: a type of event, device, reference or formula which occurs frequently in works of
literature. It is part of the theme, or helps clarify thematic concerns of the text.
Plot vs. Story
● Story is the sequence of events set in a particular time
● Plot is the way that events relate to one another to generate the narrative
The Truth About Stories
January 18th
Lecture 2: The Truth About Stories, Narrative Theory and Storytelling
Required readings: The Truth About Stories by Thomas King
Components of a Narrative
● Narrator - the storyteller
● Characters - persons within the dramatic work
● Setting - where the story takes place
● Theme - concept or idea asserted in the narrative
● Plot - events and actions in the narrative
Types of Narrator
● Third-Person Narrator, who “outside the story proper who refers to all the characters in
the story by name.” This narrator talks to the reader.
○ Omniscient: has access to the character’s thoughts and ideas
○ Limited-omniscient: observes the character but has no insight to thoughts and
ideas (keeps the reader at a distance)
● First-Person Narrator is when “the narrator speaks as ‘I,’ and is to a greater or lesser
degree a participant in the story, or else is the protagonist of the story.
Types of Characters: characters are largely defined by their thoughts, actions, and dialogue
within the narrative. The narrator dictates the reader’s opinions on the character.
● Flat character: a two-dimensional character that tends to serve a single purpose for the
story, and more importantly does not seem to change greatly as the plot progresses.
● Round character: a more fully developed character, often the main character (or
characters) and marked by their complexity. They often change as the plot progresses.
Theme
● Broadly defined, a theme is a general concept or doctrine, which an imaginative work is
designed to involve and make persuasive to the reader. It is the central idea of the work.
○ For example, the theme of Othello is jealous
Motif: a type of event, device, reference or formula which occurs frequently in works of
literature. It is part of the theme, or helps clarify thematic concerns of the text.
Plot vs. Story
● Story is the sequence of events set in a particular time
● Plot is the way that events relate to one another to generate the narrative
The Truth About Stories
