Narratology: Key Vocabulary from "The Structure of Contemporary Philippine Speculative Fiction"

Vocabulary flashcards covering major theorists, models, and key terms from the lecture notes on narratology.

Narratology

The study of narrative structure, elements and functions across different forms of storytelling.

Aristotle

Ancient Greek philosopher (384–322 BC) who, in the Poetics, outlined early narrative principles focused on character and action.

Character (Aristotle)

One of Aristotle’s two storytelling essentials; a figure whose traits are revealed through actions.

Action (Aristotle)

The second of Aristotle’s essentials; the events performed by characters that drive plot.

Hamartia

Aristotelian plot element meaning a character’s tragic flaw or underlying defect.

Anagnorisis

Moment of self-recognition or realization in Aristotle’s plot structure.

Peripeteia

Sudden reversal of fortune or ‘turn-around’ in Aristotle’s tragedy model.

Gustav Freytag

German novelist/critic who proposed the five-part Dramatic Arc (Freytag’s Pyramid) in 1900.

Freytag’s Dramatic Arc

Pyramid-shaped plot consisting of Introduction, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Catastrophe (denouement).

Introduction (Freytag)

First phase of the Dramatic Arc where characters and setting are established.

Rising Action

Series of events that build tension leading up to the climax in Freytag’s model.

Climax (Freytag)

Peak of tension or turning point at the pyramid’s apex.

Falling Action

Events after the climax that lead toward resolution or catastrophe.

Catastrophe (Freytag)

Original term for the resolution/ending in Freytag’s five-part structure.

Vladimir Propp

Russian folklorist who identified 31 narrative functions and seven spheres of action in folktales.

Propp’s 31 Functions

Fixed sequence of possible plot events (e.g., ‘Villainy,’ ‘Hero’s Return’) found in folktales.

Spheres of Action

Seven functional character roles in Propp’s theory (Hero, Villain, Donor, Helper, Dispatcher, False Hero, Princess/Prince).

Hero (Propp)

Role that seeks or is victimized; may perform quest and be rewarded.

Villain

Opposes the hero and initiates misfortune in Propp’s morphology.

Donor

Character who provides a magical object or assistance to the hero (Propp).

Magical Helper

Aid figure accompanying or guiding the hero (Propp).

Dispatcher

Role that announces the lack and sends hero on quest (Propp).

False Hero

Character who claims the hero’s achievements (Propp).

Princess/Prince

Sought-for person or reward that typically marries the hero (Propp).

Joseph Campbell

American mythologist who formulated the Monomyth or Hero’s Journey in 1949.

Monomyth (Hero’s Journey)

Universal three-act, 17-stage pattern: Departure, Initiation, Return.

Departure (Hero’s Journey)

First act covering stages like Call to Adventure and Crossing the Threshold.

Initiation

Second act with trials and transformation stages (e.g., Road of Trials, Apotheosis).

Return (Monomyth)

Third act involving the hero’s reintegration, Magic Flight, and Freedom to Live.

A. J. Greimas

French-Lithuanian theorist who created the Actantial Model (1966).

Actantial Model

Framework of six actants—Subject, Object, Helper, Opponent, Sender, Receiver—arranged along three axes.

Subject Actant

Seeks conjunction/disjunction with the Object in Greimas’s axis of desire.

Object Actant

Goal or value sought by the Subject (Greimas).

Helper

Assists the Subject in achieving the Object (axis of power).

Opponent

Hinders the Subject’s quest for the Object (axis of power).

Sender

Initiates the quest by requesting union between Subject and Object (axis of transmission).

Receiver

Beneficiary of the achieved junction between Subject and Object (Greimas).

Axis of Desire

Relationship between Subject and Object (conjunction/disjunction).

Axis of Power

Opposition between Helper and Opponent actants.

Axis of Transmission

Communication path from Sender to Receiver regarding the quest.

Tzvetan Todorov

Bulgarian-French critic who proposed a five-part Narrative Syntax (1969).

Equilibrium (Todorov)

Initial stable state before disruption begins.

Disruption of Equilibrium

Inciting incident that disturbs the narrative world (Todorov).

Repairing the Disruption

Actions taken to address the disturbance (Todorov).

Climax (Todorov)

Highest tension point before resolution in Todorov’s sequence.

New Equilibrium

Restored but altered stability at story’s end (Todorov).

Roland Barthes

French semiotician who identified five Narrative Codes in S/Z (1970).

Proairetic Code

Sequence of actions (plot events) creating narrative momentum.

Semantic Code

Connotative meanings that describe characters, places or objects.

Hermeneutic Code

Strategic withholding of information to create suspense or curiosity.

Cultural Code

Shared social knowledge or beliefs evoked by the text.

Symbolic Code

Binary oppositions and deeper symbolic structures within a narrative.

Gerard Genette

French narratologist who studied Narrative Discourse (1972).

Diegesis

Narrative ‘telling’—author or narrator directly relates events.

Mimesis

Narrative ‘showing’—events are dramatized as if unfolding before reader.

Focalisation

Perspective through which narrative information is filtered.

Zero Focalisation

Unlimited perspective with no single character focus (omniscient).

Covert Narrator

Anonymous, identity-less narrator typical of zero-focalised texts.

Overt Narrator

Narrator with identifiable persona; may be heterodiegetic or homodiegetic.

Heterodiegetic Narrator

Narrator who is not a character in the story world.

Homodiegetic Narrator

Narrator who is also a character within the story.

Frame Narrative

Outer story that contains another embedded story.

Embedded Narrative

Inner tale told by a character within the frame narrative.

Catherine Emmott

Narratologist who proposed Contextual Frames theory (1997).

Contextual Frame

Mental structure readers build to track characters, place and time.

Binding (Frames)

Keeping characters fixed within a particular frame (e.g., a room).

Priming (Frames)

Focusing attention on an active frame; can switch when a new frame is primed.

Overtness (Frames)

Extent to which bound/primed characters are explicitly mentioned; covert characters are unmentioned.

Immanuel Kant

Philosopher whose concept of schemata informed modern Schema Theory.

Schema Theory

Cognitive model where new information is matched to stored, organized knowledge structures (schemata).

Schema

Generalized memory structure containing connected information based on experience.

Frame (Schema Theory)

Contextual setting in which a schema operates.

Script (Schema Theory)

Ordered sequence of events expected within a specific frame.

Bottom-Up Processing

Cognitive flow from sensory input to memory storage (data-driven).

Top-Down Processing

Influence of existing memories/expectations on perception and comprehension.

CAM-WN (Congruent Association Model with Working Narrative)

Model illustrating interaction of sensory input (surface information) and long-term story grammar in narrative comprehension.

World Schemata

Rules governing the fictional world within a narrative.

Language Schemata

Reader’s knowledge of language style appropriate to a text.

Text Schemata

Expectations about text type and structure (e.g., genre conventions).

Dan Harmon

American producer who derived the 8-step Story Embryo from Campbell’s Monomyth.

Story Embryo

Harmon’s condensed Hero’s Journey of eight beats: Comfort, Need, Entry, Adaptation, Getting, Paying Price, Return, Change.

Rhythm of Biology

Cyclical pattern of Life vs. Death underlying stories (Harmon).

Rhythm of Psychology

Cycle of Conscious vs. Unconscious mind reflected in narrative journeys.

Rhythm of Society

Social oscillation between Order and Chaos mirrored in storytelling.

Zone of Comfort

Step 1 of Story Embryo: hero’s familiar starting state.

Unfamiliar Situation

Step 3 where the character crosses into the unknown world.

Pay a Heavy Price

Step 6: cost or sacrifice required before resolution in Story Embryo.

Return Changed

Step 8: hero reintegrates into original world with newfound growth.