Narrative

A narrative is an account of a series of related events or experiences. These accounts can be non-fictional, such as a biography or a news report. They can also be fictional, like a novel or a fable. Narratives are expressed through many different mediums of human creativity. This includes written or spoken words, moving images, and even still images. Humans share these stories through an activity called storytelling. For most of history, this was done through oral storytelling. Since literate societies emerged, many narratives have been recorded in written form.

To understand how a narrative functions, we must look at its essential elements. These elements are often called the elements of fiction by scholars. The first is character, which refers to the individuals inside a work. Characters drive the plot through their specific choices and behaviors. A narrative usually has a protagonist, who is the main character. There may also be an antagonist, a character who opposes the protagonist. Some stories feature an ensemble cast, which is a collection of equally important protagonists. Characters can be real people, imaginary beings, or based on real individuals.

Conflict is the second essential element and provides the tension that drives a story. Broadly, conflict is any tension affecting a character's thoughts or actions. In a narrower sense, it is the major problem the protagonist encounters. This conflict can be external, such as character versus nature or character versus society. It can also be internal, such as character versus self. This internal struggle might involve anxiety, indecisiveness, or other emotional burdens. When a conflict is brought to an end, it is called a resolution.

Plot is the sequence of events that occurs from the beginning to the end. Plotting, or emplotment, is the process of structuring these events. Most plots work through a chain of cause and effect. In this process, one character's action produces a reaction that moves the story forward. These events are organized into scenes and plot points. Plot points are specific moments of change that affect a character's decisions. As characters work to resolve conflicts, they create emotional stakes. This can lead to suspense, which is the audience's feeling of anticipation.

Creators also use a narrative mode to frame how the story is told. This mode includes the scope of information provided and the style of language used. It also involves the perspective or point of view. In a first-person narrative, a character uses pronouns like "I" and "me." In a third-person narrative, the teller avoids these pronouns and acts as an impersonal commentator. This explicit telling is called narration. Additionally, every narrative has a setting, which is the time, place, and context of the story. The setting includes physical surroundings and social or cultural conventions.

Narratives have been a defining part of human culture since before recorded history. We find written narratives from ancient Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, and Indian civilizations. In India, archaeological evidence of stories exists at the Indus Valley Civilization site of Lothal. On a large vessel at this site, an artist depicted birds with fish in their beaks. This scene resembles the story of "The Fox and the Crow" from the Panchatantra. Another miniature jar shows a story about a thirsty crow and a deer. These ancient artifacts prove that storytelling is a ubiquitous human activity.

Today, the formal academic study of stories is called narratology. Researchers in this field look for "narrativity," which is the quality that distinguishes a narrative from other writing. They also study narrative techniques, which are strategies used to build a story. One technique is a nested narrative, where one story is presented inside another. Another is the use of an unreliable narrator, a character whose account is doubtful or suspicious. Some researchers, like Owen Flanagan, suggest that humans are "inveterate storytellers." This means people in all cultures may use narrative forms to understand their own identities.