emplotment

Emplotment is a term used in narratology to describe the process by which a raw sequence of events is organized into a coherent narrative plot. It refers to the storyteller’s or editor’s shaping of events—selecting which moments to include, deciding their order, and creating causal connections and thematic throughlines that give the events meaning within a narrative frame.

The concept distinguishes between the events that happened (the story or fabula) and the arrangement that makes those events legible as a plot (the plot or sujet). Emplotment involves imposing structure, often guiding readers or viewers to interpret motives, goals, and consequences, and to perceive a beginning, middle, and end. It also relies on decisions about line of causality, time, perspective, and focalization, which affect how the audience understands characters and stakes.

Different emplotment strategies reflect genre conventions and cultural expectations. Plots may follow linear progression, unfold episodically, or employ non-linear temporality. Common archetypes, such as the quest, tragedy, or comedy, illustrate how emplotment shapes moral evaluation, emotional engagement, and thematic emphasis. Furthermore, the same bundle of events can be emploted in multiple ways, producing divergent interpretations depending on the chosen narrative frame or standpoint.

In practice, emplotment is relevant across media, including literature, film, oral storytelling, and historiography. Analysts study how editing, selection, and arrangement reveal authorial or cultural positions, reveal bias, or invite specific readings.