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Choose a Narrative Structure Presentations need structure to hold a message and engage an audience Quinten Edward Williams Quinten Edward Williams [email protected] Narrative structure Linear and nonlinear narrative Aristotle’s Beginning, Middle, End Gustav Freytag’s Pyramid Freytag’s Pyramid and the Three Act Plot Christopher Brooker’s Meta Plot Visualizing narrative structure. (2018). Kensy Cooperrider. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from http://kensycooperrider.com/blog/visualizing-narrative-structure Narrative, Story, Plot, Narrative Structure Story = A series of events. The content. Conflicts. Characters. Settings. Plot = How the story is put together. It is a structure. How the series of events are set-up and resolved. Narrative = Story + Plot. It is a specific manifestation of a story. How audience receives the information. Narrative Structure = A structural framework that underlies the presentation of the narrative Poynzt, S. (2002). Visual storytelling and narrative structure. Vancouver, BC : Pacific Cinémathèque. Narrative Structure Categories Interactive Linear Nonlinear Narrative Plot follows Events are portrayed The user makes chronological order. are not in the original choices which affects Story is presented in chronological order. the plot direction. the order that events The plot does not Story elements are occurred. follow direct interactive. Immersed causality. in the story. https://www.interactivenarratives.org Mascolini, J. (2017) The Post Nonlinear Narrative Structure: Introduction. Medium. Retrieved 11 February 2019, from https://medium.com/@jacopomsn/the-post-nonlinear-narrative-structure-introduction-52f6dfe37377 Riedl, M., & Bulitko, V. (2012). Interactive Narrative: An Intelligent Systems Approach. AI Magazine, 34(1), 67. doi:10.1609/aimag.v34i1.2449 Aristotle: Beginning, Middle, End Plot with Unity of action “Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is complete, and whole, and of a certain magnitude. A whole is that which has a beginning, middle, and end.” (Aristotle, trans. 1895, p. 29) Aristotle. (trans. 1895). The Poetics of Aristotle. Translated by. S.H. Butcher. London: Macmillan and Co. https://archive.org/details/poeticstranslate00arisuoft/page/2 Gustav Freytag: Five stage story structure / Story mountain Freytag. G. (1908). Freytag's Technique of the Drama, An Exposition of Dramatic Composition and Art. Scott, Chicago: Forseman & Company. The Freytag Pyramid maps onto the three act plot structure. Daniel T. de Lill, P. (2019). Plot. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from https://danieldelill.com/the-blob-blog/f/plot Freytag. G. (1908). Freytag's Technique of the Drama, An Exposition of Dramatic Composition and Art. Scott, Chicago: Forseman & Company. Christopher Booker: Meta Plot (symbolic events) Anticipation Frustration Nightmare Dream stage Resolution stage stage stage An introduction There is a first A confrontation All hope seems The hero or to the context, contact and an with the real lost at the heroine is the call to initial success, enemy. There highpoint in victorious. action, and a with a feeling are setbacks. dramatic Union / Escape promise of of invincibility tension. Bold / Destruction / what is to after success. action is Death Wish / come. required. Redemption Booker, C. 2004. The Seven Basic Plots.New York: Continuum. Tzvetan Todorov: Equilibrium, disruption, resolution Disruptor vs antidisruptor creates suspense Protagonist Baseline Disruptor Climax / Quest Re-Equilibrium Equilibrium Event Resolution Antagonist Recognition. A Attempt to repair. Forces of the Story comes to a force of change Characters respond disruptor and close. New steady disrupts the to disruptor. The antidisruptor play state. Wisdom / existing baseline antidisruptor seeks themselves out. Experience Characters lives equilibrium and to restore a are normal in a makes a new state baseline steady baseline of disequilibrium. equilibrium. equilibrium. Creates a hook. Todorov T. (1977). The poetics of prose. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Quinten Edward Williams [email protected] Kurt Vonnegut: The Shapes of Stories Man in a hole Boy meets girl Cinderella Kafka Hamlet Old testament Creation myth Vonnegut, K. (1995). Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3c1h8v2ZQ Vonnegut: Man in a hole “Somebody gets into trouble, gets out of it again. It is not accidental that the line ends up higher than where it began. This is encouraging to readers.” Vonnegut, K. (2005). A man without a country. New York: Seven Stories Press. Eilam, M. (2012). Kurt Vonnegut - The Shapes of Stories. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from https://visual.ly/community/infographic/other/kurt-vonnegut-shapes-stories-0 Vonnegut: Boy meets girl “Somebody, an ordinary person, on a day like any other day, comes across something perfectly wonderful: ‘Oh boy, this is my lucky day!’ … ‘Shit!’ … And gets back up again.” Vonnegut, K. (2005). A man without a country. New York: Seven Stories Press. Eilam, M. (2012). Kurt Vonnegut - The Shapes of Stories. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from https://visual.ly/community/infographic/other/kurt-vonnegut-shapes-stories-0 Vonnegut: Cinderella Receive incremental good fortune, then suddenly lose good standing, only to regain it and more. Vonnegut, K. (2005). A man without a country. New York: Seven Stories Press. Eilam, M. (2012). Kurt Vonnegut - The Shapes of Stories. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from https://visual.ly/community/infographic/other/kurt-vonnegut-shapes-stories-0 Vonnegut: Kafka Story starts off with a character in a bad place, and it ends worse. Vonnegut, K. (2005). A man without a country. New York: Seven Stories Press. Eilam, M. (2012). Kurt Vonnegut - The Shapes of Stories. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from https://visual.ly/community/infographic/other/kurt-vonnegut-shapes-stories-0 Vonnegut: Hamlet The story is ambiguous. Like in life, we can not be certain if many of the developments are good or bad. Vonnegut, K. (2005). A man without a country. New York: Seven Stories Press. Eilam, M. (2012). Kurt Vonnegut - The Shapes of Stories. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from https://visual.ly/community/infographic/other/kurt-vonnegut-shapes-stories-0 Vonnegut: Creation Myth A deity delivers incremental gifts that build to form the world. Vonnegut, K. (1994). Palm Sunday: Welcome to the Monkeyhouse. New York: Vintage. Eilam, M. (2012). Kurt Vonnegut - The Shapes of Stories. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from https://visual.ly/community/infographic/other/kurt-vonnegut-shapes-stories-0 Vonnegut: Old Testament A deity delivers incremental gifts that build to form the world, and then its taken away abruptly. Vonnegut, K. (1994). Palm Sunday: Welcome to the Monkeyhouse. New York: Vintage. Eilam, M. (2012). Kurt Vonnegut - The Shapes of Stories. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from https://visual.ly/community/infographic/other/kurt-vonnegut-shapes-stories-0 Quinten Edward Williams [email protected] Computational Story Lab: Emotional arcs of stories have six trajectories Rags to riches - An ongoing emotional rise. Riches to rags - An ongoing emotional fall. Man in a hole - A fall followed by a rise. Icarus - A rise followed by a fall. Cinderella - A rise-fall-rise pattern. Oedipus - A fall-rise-fall pattern. Reagan, A., Mitchell, L., Kiley, D., Danforth, C., & Dodds, P. (2016). The emotional arcs of stories are dominated by six basic shapes. EPJ Data Science, 5(1). doi:10.1140/epjds/s13688-016-0093-1 Computational Story Lab: Patterns Plot name Pattern Example Rags to riches Rise Alice’s Adventures Underground Riches to rags Fall Romeo and Juliet Man in a hole Fall-rise The Magic of Oz Icarus Rise-fall Shadowings Cinderella Rise-fall-rise Through the Magic Door Oedipus Fall-rise-fall This World is Taboo Reagan, A., Mitchell, L., Kiley, D., Danforth, C., & Dodds, P. (2016). The emotional arcs of stories are dominated by six basic shapes. Appendices. EPJ Data Science, 5(1). doi:10.1140/epjds/s13688-016-0093-1 Computational Story Lab (CSL): The Ugly Duckling “Things get generally better for the duckling over the course of the story, but there are flashes of light and dark along the way.” (Quick, 2019) Complex structure Two man in a hole Overall rags to riches Quick, M. (2019). Every story in the world has one of these six basic plots. BBC.com. Retrieved 10 February 2019, from http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180525-every-story-in- the-world-has-one-of-these-six-basic-plots Quinten Edward Williams [email protected] Christopher Booker: 7 basic plots + 2 extra plots Overcoming the monster - Heros set out and defeat an evil. Rags to riches - Hero has a crisis and then a success. The quest - Hero learns of a treasure, faces challenges, and succeeds. Voyage and return - Starts with an aimless wandering, is challenged, finds a purpose, and grows wiser. Comedy - Humorous characters, sustained confusion and adverse circumstances, but find a happy ending. Tragedy - Heros set out to defeat an evil but don’t. Rebirth - Hero changes, is renewed, or is transformed. Rebellion against the one - Over time hero realises governing force’ right to rule. Mystery - A riddle is posed that the hero works to solve. Booker, C. (2004). The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. London: Continuum. Marouda, Y. (2017, October 21). Order & Chance: Narratives of New Media. Retrieved February 15, 2019, from http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/orderchance-narratives-of-new-media.html Booker: Examples of the nine plots Plot name Example Overcoming the monster Odyssey; Lord
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