Narration Study Guide

What does narration do?

Relates a sequence of events linked in time

What can narration lead to?

New knowledge or a notable outcome

How is narrative time different from real time?

Narrative time does not match real time because events can be condensed or expanded

What determines which events are included and how they are presented?

The point of the narrative (take-away idea)

What does the point of the narrative control?

Selection of events

What is Straight Chronological Order?

Relating events in the sequence of their actual occurrence

When is Straight Chronological Order especially useful?

In short narratives

What does it mean when the final event comes first?

The story begins with self-realization followed by the events that led up to it

What does it mean to summarize the entire story first?

The story is briefly summarized before being examined in detail

What is a flashback?

A shift backward in time instead of forward

What does point of view mean?

The narrator’s position relative to the events

How do pronouns show point of view?

First-person shows the narrator is a participant; third-person shows the narrator is an observer

What does verb tense show?

The narrator’s relation in time to the events

What does past tense in narration show?

Events are being told after they happened

What does present tense in narration show?

Events are being told as if happening now

What effect does first-person + present tense create?

Great immediacy

What effect does third-person + past tense create?

Distance and potential objectivity