Chapter Two — Plot and Structure (Comprehensive Study Notes)

Plot and Structure

  • Plot is the sequence of incidents or events through which an author constructs a story; skilled authors present the sequence in a significant order. A plot, viewed in isolation, is like a map to a journey; it can be told with varying levels of detail, like different map scales. A plot summary concentrates on major events and may include dialogue or thoughts but leaves out description and analysis; it is not the content of the work itself but the arrangement of action toward a specific end.
  • In commercial fiction, the plot often contains surprising twists and a climactic incident; writers tend to use a conventional, well-tested structure to keep readers turning pages. The story tends to follow standard chronology and familiar patterns.
  • Example contrast:
    • Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” uses a chronological structure with a classic three-part sequence: Rainsford’s initial failed attempts to entrap General Zaroff (Malay man-catcher → failure), then the Burmese tiger pit (failure), and finally the third, successful approach using the “native trick” learned in Uganda to kill Ivan and outwit Zaroff.
    • Wolff’s “Hunters in the Snow” also uses chronology but arranges plot elements in a more complex, experimental way to explore relationships among three principal characters; the meaning emerges from the interplay of the three minds rather than from action alone.
    • For literary writers, complex structures can be necessary to convey deeper meanings; surface action may be less important than the action’s significance.
  • Conflict in fiction is the engine of both commercial and literary works; it can be physical, mental, emotional, or moral, and it pits a protagonist against various forces.
  • Major ideas:
    • Plot vs. content: Plot is the arrangement of events toward a goal, not the content of the events themselves.
    • Structure: Plot can be chronological or non-chronological; the arrangement should create a logical progression and a sense of inevitability, not heavy-handed manipulation.
    • Meaning of action: In literary fiction, the meaning of action—what the action reveals about character and human experience—can be more important than the action itself.
  • Types of conflict (four major kinds):
    • Physical conflict: protagonist against an external force (nature, other people, fate).
    • Mental conflict: opposing ideas or schemes within the mind of a character.
    • Emotional conflict: struggles within a character’s feelings.
    • Moral conflict: clashes of values and ethics.
    • The four kinds are illustrated by Rainsford’s experiences in The Most Dangerous Game, including battles with Zaroff, Ivan, the sea, and internal moral considerations.
  • Protagonist and antagonist definitions:
    • Protagonist: the central character around whom the story revolves; the term is preferred over hero/heroine because it avoids implying heroic qualities.
    • Antagonist: any force arrayed against the protagonist—another person, a group, societal conventions, or the protagonist’s own traits.
  • The Most Dangerous Game as a case study of conflict:
    • Conflicts illustrated include: physical (Rainsford vs. sea; vs. Zaroff), mental (Rainsford’s battle of wits with Zaroff), emotional (Rainsford’s terror and resolve), and moral (refusal to condone murder).
  • Suspense in fiction:
    • Suspense is the reader’s desire to know what happens next and is heightened when a likable protagonist’s fate is at stake.
    • Commercial fiction typically relies on suspense to drive page-turning momentum; literary fiction emphasizes other engaging elements (character, theme, style) and may rank suspense lower in priority.
    • Two devices to create suspense:
    • Mystery: an unusual situation that begs for explanation.
    • Dilemma: a situation in which the protagonist must choose between two undesirable actions.
    • Suspense can be generated through external danger (physical peril) or internal/psychological stakes.
    • In The Most Dangerous Game, suspense emerges from: (i) an opening mystery about Ship-Trap Island and Zaroff’s hunt, (ii) the immediate danger as Rainsford falls into the sea and confronts Ivan, and (iii) the ongoing question of whether and how he will escape.
    • A second kind of suspense comes from the protagonist’s dilemma at the start of the hunt: choose among three undesirable courses (hunt the other way, be hunted, or submit to Ivan’s death).
    • On the third day, further dilemma arises: stay (suicide) or flee (postponing the inevitable).
  • The role and limits of suspense:
    • Suspense is crucial for commercial fiction; in literary fiction, suspense is not the sole measure of merit. A story can be engaging through wit, style, moral depth, or character-driven inquiry.
    • A good literary story invites rereading; its second encounter should be richer than the first as readers uncover deeper meaning.
    • Withholding key information to manufacture suspense is viewed as artificial or manipulative if it fails to reveal insight later.
    • The same scenario can be treated differently: a literary piece might focus on psychological factors; a commercial piece on what happens next.
  • The element of surprise:
    • Surprise requires that readers not know what will happen; radical departures (twists) are most common in short stories.
    • Judges of surprise endings consider two things:
    • Fairness: is the surprise earned and plausible within the story’s logic?
    • Purpose: does the ending illuminate or deepen the story’s meaning, rather than merely shock or titillate?
    • If a surprise ending relies on improbable coincidences or false clues, it may be a cheap trick; if, after reflection, the ending feels natural and meaningful, it is justified.
    • In commercial fiction, surprise endings frequently accompany a happy ending, with the protagonist resolving conflicts and living “happily ever after.” In literary fiction, endings may be unhappy or open-ended but still justified within the story’s logic and themes.
  • Endings: happy, unhappy, or indeterminate
    • Happy endings: protagonists resolve their problems, defeat adversaries, and achieve conventional closure.
    • Unhappy endings: common in literary fiction; they reflect life’s complexities and invite deeper reflection.
    • Indeterminate endings: some stories leave conflicts unresolved; artistic unity remains, and readers are left to ponder psychological dynamics rather than a final resolution. Example: the relationship between Tub and Frank in Hunters in the Snow.
    • Two justifications for unhappy endings:
    • Realism: life contains defeats as well as victories; fiction reflects life’s complexity.
    • Provocation: unhappy endings force deeper thought and thematic exploration (e.g., Shakespearean tragedies).
  • Artistic unity and plot construction:
    • Artistic unity requires that every element contribute to the central intent; nothing should be irrelevant or included merely for its own sake.
    • Authors achieve unity through rigorous selection and careful arrangement; incidents should form a causal chain: each event leads to the next via cause and effect, producing a sense of natural inevitability given the characters and situation.
    • Plot manipulation occurs when a turn is unjustified by the situation or characters, or when the plot relies excessively on chance or coincidence.
    • Deus ex machina ("god from a machine"): a later-appearing god or force resolves the plot, an effect that is often seen as contrived in fiction though it was a conventional device in ancient Greek drama.
    • Chance vs coincidence:
    • Chance: an event with no apparent cause in prior events or character predisposition; can occur in life and fiction but should not be relied on to resolve the plot.
    • Coincidence: the chance alignment of two events that may have some relation but still appears as random; its use is risky when used to resolve a story.
    • Coincidence can be acceptable at the start or to complicate a plot, but not to resolve it, especially if it strains plausibility.
    • An initial improbable situation can be justified if it offers revealing opportunities about human nature; however, ending a story with a similar improbable coincidence tends to undermine verisimilitude.
    • Real-life sequences of events can be bizarre, but fiction must remain plausible to maintain reader conviction.
  • Approaches to plot analysis:
    • One can diagram plots or trace rising action, climax, and falling action; however, focusing only on plot structure in isolation is limited.
    • A more productive approach examines plot’s function in relation to the story’s broader meanings: central conflict, thematic concerns, and character development.
    • In literary fiction, plot is inseparable from other elements such as characterization and point of view; plot acts as a guide and map but does not replace the reader’s journey into the fictional world.
  • Connections to broader principles and real-world relevance:
    • Plot structure reflects fundamental storytelling needs: to create meaning, to reveal character, and to engage readers morally and intellectually.
    • The balance between action and meaning mirrors tensions in real life between what happens and why it matters.
    • Ethical implications emerge when exploring moral choices, especially in stories with explicit moral conflicts or ambiguous outcomes.
  • Summary takeaways:
    • Plot is the deliberate arrangement of incidents toward a chosen end; it is not merely the action but the way action is organized to reveal meaning.
    • Conflict drives both commercial and literary fiction, but its portrayal and resolution differ by genre in emphasis and interpretation.
    • Suspense and surprise are key tools, but their legitimacy depends on fairness, purpose, and contribution to meaning.
    • Endings can be happy, unhappy, or indeterminate; their value lies in internal logic and the extent to which they illuminate universal human concerns.
    • Artistic unity requires each element to advance the central intention; avoid gratuitous twists, arbitrary resolutions, or overreliance on chance or coincidence.
    • Plot should be analyzed not in isolation but in relation to characterization, point of view, and other narrative devices to understand a work’s overall meaning.

Key terms and concepts to remember

  • Plot: sequence of incidents arranged to create a narrative arc toward a purpose.
  • Content vs. Plot: content is what happens; plot is how it is arranged.
  • Protagonist: central character; often faced with multiple conflicts.
  • Antagonist: force opposing the protagonist.
  • Conflict: clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills; can be physical, mental, emotional, or moral. In The Most Dangerous Game, conflicts include man vs man, man vs nature, and man vs self, among others.
  • Suspense: reader’s curiosity about what will happen next; enhanced by mystery and dilemmas.
  • Mystery vs. Dilemma: two devices to create suspense.
  • Surprise ending: a twist that must be fair and meaningful; not merely shocking.
  • Endings: Happy, Unhappy, Indeterminate.
  • Artistic unity: every element contributes to the central intention; events are connected by a chain of cause and effect.
  • Deus ex machina: a contrived, last-minute solution that undermines plausibility.
  • Chance vs Coincidence: chance is an event with no apparent cause; coincidence is a chance alignment of events that may appear connected.
  • The function of plot: to reveal meaning and connect incidents to larger thematic concerns; not just to entertain.

Review questions (Rationale-oriented prompts)

  • 1) Define the term plot.
  • 2) Describe the importance of conflict in fiction.
  • 3) Differentiate between the protagonist and the antagonist in a story.
  • 4) Explore the importance of the element of surprise in fiction.
  • 5) Consider the differences between a happy, an unhappy, and an indeterminate ending.
  • 6) Review the importance of artistic unity in literary fiction.

Numerical references and concepts (for quick recall in exams)

  • Three-part sequence (example pattern in a plot): 33 stages, as in The Most Dangerous Game: attempt 1 → attempt 2 → final attempt.
  • Specific numerical details cited:
    • Number of paragraphs before reveal in The Most Dangerous Game: 3636
    • Days of the hunt (sequence in the story): 33 days
    • Seventeenth-story window ledge (example of suspense in a different scenario): 1717th story
  • Four major kinds of conflict (physical, mental, emotional, moral): 44 kinds
  • Two common devices to create suspense: 22 devices (mystery and dilemma)
  • Two criteria for judging a surprise ending: 22 criteria (fairness and purpose)
  • Start/end relationship patterns and the idea of a chain: use notation such as C1 o C2 o dots o C_n to illustrate a cause-and-effect progression in plot development