frametale

Frametale, also known as a frame tale or frame narrative, is a narrative technique in which a primary frame narrative provides the context for one or more embedded stories. The outer frame is usually carried by a main narrator or situation that introduces, moderates, and sometimes comments on the subordinate tales, which are told by characters within the frame or relayed by the framing narrator.

The frame establishes the circumstances in which the inner stories are told and can shape their interpretation by setting tone, theme, or moral perspective across the collection. Frames can be simple or elaborate, and they may include multiple levels or even metafictional commentary about storytelling itself.

Historical examples include Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, where a group of pilgrims on a journey tell stories to entertain each other; The Arabian Nights (One Thousand and One Nights), in which Scheherazade supplies a continuous sequence of tales to the king; and Boccaccio's The Decameron, in which a company of companions narrate stories while sheltering from the plague. These works show how a frame can accommodate a variety of voices, settings, and genres within a single volume.

Frametales continue to influence modern fiction, film, and television. They often explore issues of voice and authority, or create contrast between the frame and the embedded material. Variants include nested frames, where frames contain frames within frames, and metafictional frames that draw attention to the act of storytelling itself.