In Fic... — Story And Discourse: Narrative Structure

While the "story" is a linear chain of cause and effect, the "discourse" manipulates that chain to create meaning or tension: A story is chronological ( ). Discourse can be non-linear (

This covers "who sees" (perspective/focalization) versus "who speaks" (the narrator). 3. Why It Matters

An event can happen once in the story but be narrated multiple times in the discourse from different perspectives (repetitive narrative). Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fic...

Discourse controls pacing. A decade can be skipped in a single sentence (ellipsis), or a five-second moment can be stretched over ten pages (stretch).

into specific theorists (like Genette or Barthes) Practical examples from a specific book or film Writing techniques to manipulate discourse in your own work While the "story" is a linear chain of

The "what." This is the raw material—the chronological sequence of events, the characters, and the setting. It is the abstract content that exists independently of how it is told.

In literary theory, particularly structuralism, the distinction between and Discourse is the foundation for understanding how narrative works. This framework was famously popularized by theorists like Seymour Chatman and Gérard Genette. 1. The Core Distinction Why It Matters An event can happen once

), using techniques like analepsis (flashback) or prolepsis (flash-forward).