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Plot
Plot is a literary device that defines the structure, or framework, of a story. Plot can be told in a number of ways:
- chronological order arranged in the order it happened ,
- flashback an interjected scene or point that takes the narrative back in time , or
- in media res in the middle of things .
Aristotle and Freytag
Aristotle and Gustav Freytag introduced the plot pyramid. Aristotle described the organization of plot as having a basic beginning, middle, and end pattern.
Hoever, Freytag added more detail to the pyramid by introducing the concepts of:
- exposition,
- rising action,
- climax,
- falling action, and
- denouement.
Freytag's Pyramid
Review each part of Freytag's Pyramid below.
Exposition: The exposition introduces the readers to the characters and describes the time and place of the setting.
Rising Action: The rising action is where the conflict gets more exciting and the story builds around this struggle.
Climax: The climax is the moment of greatest excitement or tension in the story. It is also known as the crisis.
Falling Action: The falling action is where the events happen as a result of the climax, and the reader knows that the story will soon end.
Denouement: The denouement (pronounced day-noo-moh) is a French word literally meaning the end. All loose-ends are tied and resolved by the characters or explained by the author. The character solves the main problem or conflict, or someone solves it for him or her.
Freytag and Fiction
Freytag's pyramid can apply to plays, movies, short stories, and novels.