Narrative Theory

Plot: The series of events that make up the story.

Characterization: The way in which characters are developed and presented in the story.

Point of View: The perspective from which the story is told.

Theme: The underlying message or meaning of the story.

Setting: The time and place in which the story takes place.

Conflict: The central tension or problem that the characters face.

Foreshadowing: Hints or clues about future events in the story.

Symbolism: The use of objects, actions, or events to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

Irony: The use of language or situations to convey a meaning opposite to their literal interpretation.

Structure: The organization and arrangement of the story.

Style: The way the author uses language to convey meaning and create mood and atmosphere.

Narration: The way the story is presented and told.

Archetypes: Common recurring symbols, characters, or situations in literature, representing universal human experiences.

Genre: The category of literary composition, such as mystery, romance, and science fiction.

Reader Response Theory: The approach to literary analysis that emphasizes the role of the reader in interpreting the meaning of the text.

Structuralism: This theory focuses on the structure of the novel and how it's organized.

Psychoanalytic Theory: This theory studies the psychology of the characters and the author behind the work.

Feminist Theory: This theory explains how gender plays a role within the narrative and how it affects the characters.

Marxist Theory: This theory examines how social class plays a role in the narrative's outcome.

Postmodernist Theory: This theory analyzes the novel's structure and how it's used to convey meaning.

Reader-Response Theory: This theory focuses on the interpretation of the reader and how they perceive the story.

Queer Theory: This theory examines how sexuality and sexual identity are represented in the narrative.

New Historicism / Cultural Studies: This theory investigates the historical and cultural contexts that the novel was written in and how it influences the narrative.

Cognitive Narratology: This theory analyzes how the human mind processes and comprehends narratives.

Ecocriticism: This theory examines the representation of nature and the environment in a literary text.