Narratives

Narratives are organized accounts of a sequence of events presented to an audience. They may be fictional or factual, oral or written, dramatic or documentary. In narrative theory, the events that occur are distinguished from the way they are told—the narration or narrative voice that shapes interpretation. A narrative typically has elements such as plot, characters, setting, and a point of view.

Forms span literature and beyond: novels, short stories, myths, legends, biographies, memoirs, news reports, films, and video games—each uses storytelling conventions to structure experience. Narratives can be linear or non-linear, directed by a narrator or by focalization.

Core components include plot, the sequence of events and their causal relations; characters; setting; and themes. Narrative techniques involve perspective (first person, third person), voice, and tone, as well as devices such as flashbacks, foreshadowing, in medias res, frame narratives, and metafiction.

Functions of narratives include entertainment, conveying information, influencing beliefs, preserving memory, and exploring identity and culture. In scholarly contexts, narratology studies the structure and function of narratives across media, helping to explain how stories affect understanding, empathy, and social meaning.