narrative
Events woven together
A narrative is a story or account of events, whether fictional or factual: The film's narrative spans three generations.
The word often implies a particular framing or interpretation of events: Each side has its own narrative about what happened.
In contemporary usage, narrative frequently suggests a crafted version of reality, sometimes with skeptical undertones: Don't believe the media narrative.
As an adjective, narrative describes something that tells a story: narrative poetry, narrative structure.
Account of events
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- protagonistStory's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- characterNature, symbol, or role
setting · theme · motif · voice · perspective · point-of-view · tone · mood
Imagined narrative work
- novelNew and unusual
- novellaShort fictional book
- proseUnversified language
- genreCategory of creative work
literature · author · metaphor · symbolism · allegory · imagery · diction · rhetoric
Storyline or land parcel
- arcCurved line segment
- expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- denouementStory's final unraveling
resolution · conflict · subplot · pacing · beginning · middle · end · setup
Record of past events
- annalsYear-by-year historical account
- timelineOrdered display of events
- recordsStored data or albums
- archivesStored historical documents
epochs · eras · chronology · saga · heritage · legacy · antiquity · genealogy
Art of persuasive language
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
- spinRapid rotation around axis
- messagingSending written digital communications
- propagandaBiased information for influence
media · agenda · ideology · persuasion · representation · voice · silencing · marginalized
Extended academic treatise
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- methodsWays to accomplish something
- inquiryRequest for information
- ethnographySystematic study of peoples
qualitative · analysis · interpretation · thesis · argument · framework · theory · methodology
story
Account of events
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- protagonistStory's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
character · setting · theme · motif · voice · perspective · point-of-view · tone · mood · dialogue
fiction
Imagined narrative work
genre · literature · author · metaphor · symbolism · allegory · imagery · diction · rhetoric · epic
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- arcCurved line segment
- expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
denouement · resolution · conflict · subplot · pacing · beginning · middle · end · setup · payoff
history
Record of past events
archives · epochs · eras · chronology · saga · heritage · legacy · antiquity · genealogy · lineage
rhetoric
Art of persuasive language
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
- spinRapid rotation around axis
- messagingSending written digital communications
propaganda · media · agenda · ideology · persuasion · representation · voice · silencing · marginalized · hegemony
dissertation
Extended academic treatise
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- methodsWays to accomplish something
- inquiryRequest for information
ethnography · qualitative · analysis · interpretation · thesis · argument · framework · theory · methodology · findings
- historyancient civilizations, past events, historian, epochs, era
- storiesstory, tale, tales, myth, legend
- designdesign principles, functionality, emphasis, unity, graphic design
- literature and languagepoetry, prose, fiction, grammar, syntax
- mythsmyth, legend, fable, fairy tale, folk tale
- backstoryorigin story, origin, past, background, history
narrativerambling
Long-winded and unfocused
incoherence · chaos · jumble · noise · stream of consciousness
narrativeexposition
Systematic explanatory presentation
enumeration · list · bare facts · silence · data table
narrativecounternarrative
Story opposing mainstream accounts
truth · objective reality · facts · unvarnished truth · rebuttal
- narrative poemStory told in verse
- personal narrativeSelf-told life account
- third-person narrationStorytelling from outside perspective
- first-person narrativesStories told as "I"
- change the narrative
- narrative arcStory's overall shape