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AGlossaryofLiteraryTerms128Anarrativeisasequenceofeventsthatanarratortellsinstoryform.Anarratorisastorytellerofanykind,whethertheauthorialvoiceinanovelorafriendtellingyouaboutlastnight‘sparty.PointofViewThepointofviewistheperspectivethatanarrativetakestowardtheeventsitdescribes.First-personnarration:Anarrativeinwhichthenarratortellsthestoryfromhis/herownpointofviewandreferstohim/herselfas―I.‖Thenarratormaybeanactiveparticipantinthestoryorjustanobserver.Whenthepointofviewrepresentedisspecificallytheauthor‘s,andnotafictionalnarrator‘s,thestoryisautobiographicalandmaybenonfictional(seeCommonLiteraryFormsandGenresbelow).Third-personnarration:Thenarratorremainsoutsidethestoryanddescribesthecharactersinthestoryusingpropernamesandthethird-personpronouns―he,‖―she,‖―it,‖and―they.‖Omniscientnarration:Thenarratorknowsalloftheactions,feelings,andmotivationsofallofthecharacters.Forexample,thenarratorofLeoTolstoy‘sAnnaKareninaseemstoknoweverythingaboutallthecharactersandeventsinthestory.Limitedomniscientnarration:Thenarratorknowstheactions,feelings,andmotivationsofonlyoneorahandfulofcharacters.Forexample,thenarratorofLewisCarroll‘sAlice’sAdventuresinWonderlandhasfullknowledgeofonlyAlice.Freeindirectdiscourse:Thenarratorconveysacharacter‘sinnerthoughtswhilestayinginthethirdperson.GustaveFlaubertpioneeredthisstyleinMadameBovary,asinthispassage:―Sometimesshethoughtthatthesewereafterallthebestdaysofherlife,thehoneymoon,so-called.‖Objectivenarration:Astyleinwhichthenarratorreportsneutrallyontheoutwardbehaviorofthecharactersbutoffersnointerpretationoftheiractionsortheirinnerstates.ErnestHemingwaypioneeredthisstyle.Unreliablenarration:Thenarratorisrevealedovertimetobeanuntrustworthysourceofinformation.HumbertinVladimirNabokov‘sLolitaandStevensinKazuoIshiguro‘sTheRemainsoftheDayaregoodexamplesofunreliablenarrators.Stream-of-consciousnessnarration:Thenarratorconveysasubject‘sthoughts,impressions,andperceptionsexactlyastheyoccur,oftenindisjointedfashionandwithoutthelogicandgrammaroftypicalspeechandwriting.MollyBloom‘smonologueinthefinalchapterofJamesJoyce‘sUlyssesisanexampleofstreamofconsciousness.Whilestream-of-consciousnessnarrationusuallyiswritteninthefirstperson,itcan,bymeansoffreeindirectdiscourse(seeabove),bewritteninthethirdperson,asinVirginiaWoolf‘sMrs.Dalloway.CharacterAcharacterisaperson,animal,oranyotherthingwithapersonalitythatappearsinastory.Protagonist:Themaincharacteraroundwhomthestoryrevolves.Iftheprotagonistisadmirable,heorsheiscalledtheheroorheroineofthestory.Aprotagonistwhoisnotadmirable,orwhochallengesournotionsofwhatshouldbeconsideredadmirable,iscalledanantiheroorantiheroine.Forexample,WillyLomaninArthurMiller‘sDeathofaSalesmanisanantiherobecauseheisordinaryandpathetic,whereasMeursaultinAlbertCamus‘sTheStrangerisanantiherobecausehechallengesthetraditionalconceptionofwhataheroshouldbe.Antagonist:Theprimarycharacterorentitythatactstofrustratethegoalsoftheprotagonist.Theantagonisttypicallyisacharacterbutmayalsobeanonhumanforce.Forexample,ClaudiusistheantagonistinShakespeare‘sHamlet,whereasAGlossaryofLiteraryTerms129themilitarybureaucracyistheantagonistinJosephHeller‘sCatch-22.Stockcharacter:Acommoncharactertypethatrecursthroughoutliterature.Notableexamplesincludethewittyservant,theschemingvillain,thefemmefatale,thetrustysidekick,theoldmiser,andsoon.Astockcharacterthatholdsacentralplaceinaculture‘sfolkloreorconsciousnessmaybecalledanarchetype(seeThematicMeaning,below).Foil:Acharacterwhoilluminatesthequalitiesofanothercharacterbymeansofcontrast.InJohnKeats‘s―OdetoaNightingale,‖theswiftlytravelingnightingaleservesasafoiltoKeats‘ssleepy,opium-ladennarrator.PlotAplotisthearrangementoftheeventsinastory,includingthesequenceinwhichtheyaretold,therelativeemphasistheyaregiven,andthecausalconnectionsbetweenevents.Elementsofaplot:Aplotcanhaveacomplicatedstructure,butmostplotshavethesamebasicelements.1.Conflict:Thecentralstrugglethatmovestheplotforward.Theconflictcanbetheprotagonist‘sstruggleagainstfate,nature,society,oranotherperson.Incertaincircumstances,theconflictcanbebetweenopposingelementswithintheprotagonist.2.Risingaction:Theearlypartofthenarrative,whichbuildsmomentumanddevelopsthenarrative‘smajorconflict.3.Climax:Themomentofhighesttension,atwhichtheconflictcomestoahead.Theword―climax‖canrefereithertothesinglemomentofhighesttensionintheplotor,moregenerally,toanyepisodeofhightension.Ananticlimaxoccurswhentheplotbuildsuptoanexpectedclimaxonlytoteasethereaderwithafrustratingnon-event.JaneAusten‘snovels,suchasSenseandSensibility,arefullofromanticanticlimaxes.4.Fallingaction:Alsocalledthedenouement,thisisthelatterpartofthenarrative,duringwhichtheprotagonistrespondstotheeventsoftheclimaxandthevariousplotelementsintroducedintherisingactionareresolved.5.Reversal:SometimescalledbyitsGreekname,peripeteia,areversalisasuddenshiftthatsendstheprotagonist‘sfortunesfromgoodtobadorviceversa.6.Resolution:Anendingthatsatisfactorilyanswersallthequestionsraisedoverthecourseoftheplot.Typesofplot:Plotscantakeawidevarietyofforms,rangingfromo