Plot The Chain of Events

1. PlotThe Chain of Events AP English Literature Hilltop High School Mrs. Demangos fromDiscovering Literature, Guth & Rico, 2nd ed. (111-152)

2. Raymond Carver “There has to be a tension, a sense that something is imminent, that certain things are in relentless motion, or else, most often, there simply wont be a story.”

3. Eudora Welty “A narrative line is in its deeper sense the tracing out of a meaning, and the real continuity of a story lies in this probing forward.”

4. E. M. Forster A plot is a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality. The “The king died and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died, and then the queen died of grief” is a plot.

5. The plot is the story line, the sequence of actions or events that gives direction to the story as a whole. • When you study plot, you focus on what drives, motivates, or shapes the story. • An effective plot pulls the reader into the story. Focus on Plot

6. Plot diagram Climax Ask: What information does the writer give the reader at the beginning of the story? Introduction of characters, setting, background information; opening scene Rising Action Falling Action Cinderella lives with her evil stepmother and stepsisters and is treated poorly. Resolution Exposition Narrative Hook

7. Plot diagram Ask: What event drew you most as a reader? Climax The Narrative Hook is the point of conflict. It is the struggle between opposing forces that drives the story. Rising Action The prince will be choosing a bride at the upcoming ball. However, Cinderella has nothing to wear to the ball and she is not allowed to attend the ball. Falling Action Resolution Exposition Narrative Hook

8. Plot diagram Ask: What types of conflict are present in the story? External? Internal? Climax The main character faces a series of conflicts. Characters are developed and complications increase. Rising Action Falling Action As the step-family prepares for the ball, Cinderella wishes she could go. Her fairy godmother comes to her aid and makes it possible for her to attend, but she must leave at midnight. She dances with the prince and it’s a magic moment. Resolution Exposition Narrative Hook

9. Plot diagram Climax The conflict or problem is at its worst and the characters begin to solve the problem The climax is most often considered the most exciting or suspenseful part of the story. Rising Action Falling Action At midnight Cinderella must leave the ball so she flees from the palace and loses her glass slipper on the steps. The prince is distraught at losing his love and is determined to find her. Resolution Exposition Narrative Hook

10. Plot diagram Climax The falling action deals with events which occur right after the climax when the character begins to solve the problem. These events are usually the after-effects of the climax. Falling Action Rising Action The prince uses the slipper to find Cinderella. He goes from house to house trying the slipper on every female in the land, searching for the slipper’s perfect fit. The slipper does not fit the stepmother or the stepsisters. The conflict decreases. Often the time of greatest overall tension. Exposition Resolution Narrative Hook

11. Plot diagram The conflict comes to an end, or the problem and/or mystery is solved. In this stage all patterns of events accomplish artistic or emotional effect. Climax There is usually a release of dramatic tension and anxiety (also known as catharsis). Falling Action Rising Action Cinderella tries the slipper and it fits. Cinderella and the Prince are reunited, marry, and live happily ever after. Exposition Resolution Narrative Hook

12. When tracing the plot of a story, ask yourself: • How does the story take shape? • What sets it in motion?(catalyst) • What keeps it going? • What brings it to a satisfying close? Tracing the plot of a story

13. exposition • Look for a situation that has in it the seeds of a story: • The initial setting up or exposition creates a situation that has the seed of further developments in it. • Ask: where might this story be headed? Thinking about Plot

14. Narrative hook • Perhaps a new element disturbs the status quo: • A stranger arrives • An outsider marries into the family • A distant relative comes close Thinking about Plot

15. motivation • Size up characters for what they might do: • What actions do they seem capable of? • What events might they precipitate? • What sets them in motion? Thinking about Plot

16. motivation • A character with seething resentment is a time bomb waiting to go off. • An accident-prone character is “an accident waiting to happen”. • A lonely character may take desperate steps to make human contact. Thinking about Plot

17. Look for sources of conflict: • Are rivals in love or ambition likely to face off like the protagonist and the antagonist in ancient Greek drama? • Or a simmering conflict? People may find themselves at cross-purposes without articulating loud grievances. rivals simmering Thinking about Plot

18. external • Keep your eye on the central action or progression of events: • Does the story line focus on external physical action—quarrels, journeys, acts of defiance, suicides? • The characters may have mountains to scale or pursuers to evade. Thinking about Plot

19. internal • Keep your eye on the central action or progression of events: • Is the action of the story mainly internal, psychological? • A character may experience a change in perspective, learning something about others. • A character may reach a moment of self-realization, facing up to something important about himself or herself. Thinking about Plot

20. Narrative structure • Do not expect stories to follow a standard formula: • There may be a loose narrative structure, with events coming to pass in leisurely fashion, in chronological order. Things just seem to happen—“and then this,” “and then that,” etc. • In other stories there may be a tight narrative structure, with events marching on from cause to effect. The result is a compact, tightly plotted story. Thinking about Plot

21. Narrative structure • Do not expect stories to follow a standard formula: • Flashbacks may break up the chronological sequence of events. • In a Faulkner story like “A Rose for Emily,” you may have to reconstruct the actual chain of events from partial clues, gradually filling in the missing pieces of the puzzle. Thinking about Plot