Learn About Narrative Conventions and their Importance

Narrative conventions are the building blocks of a story. They include elements like plot, character, and setting. By using these conventions effectively, you can create a compelling narrative that engages readers. Generally, a strong understanding of narrative conventions will help you tell a story that captivates and resonates with your audience.

Generally, while narrating a story, every author will follow certain conventions and methods to make the content more interesting. One such important technique in English is the narrative conventions. Do you know what narrative conventions are? If you have no idea, then this blog post is for you. Here, you will get to know everything about narrative conventions, their types, and their importance with examples. Continue reading to update your knowledge of narrative conventions.

What are Narrative Conventions?

Narrative Conventions are the important techniques the authors mainly use to build meaning in a story. It is one of the effective tools that help a writer become a master in the art of storytelling. Often, in literature, the inclusion of the narrative convention gives a contextual flow while describing the associated events. Therefore, most literary works like novels, stories, dramas, narratives, poetry, etc., use narrative conventions.

Another significant reason is that using narrative conventions in literary works will help the authors to catch the attention of the readers. Also, narrative writing will help the readers to visualize the described circumstances. Moreover, in English literature, narrative conventions are nothing but literary devices.

Types of Narrative Conventions

Basically, the narrative conventions are categorized as primary and secondary narrative conventions.

The primary narrative conventions make a comprehensive impact on the entire literature, whereas secondary narrative conventions will make an impact but not on the entire segment of the literature.

Primary Narrative Conventions

The following is the list of the primary narrative conventions.

Conflict

1. Against the Society
2. Self
3. Another Person
4. Environment

Setting

1. Destination Setting
2. Period Setting

Theme

1. Core Theme
2. Motifs
3. Symbol

Plot Development

1. Denouncement
2. Exposition
3. Falling Tension
4. Complication
5. Climax

Descriptive Language

1. Figurative Language
2. Imagery
3. Sensory Imagery

Characters

1. Antagonist
2. Protagonist

Characterization

1. Interaction and Relationships
2. Appearance
3. Thoughts
4. Behavior
5. Dialogues

Point of View

1. First Person
2. Second Person
3. Third Person

Narrative Conventions | Conflict 

So, by utilizing this tool of narrative correspondence, the conflicts between the included characters could be effectively shown in the literature.

Now, the following is a list of a portion of the contexts in which the tools of conflict narrative conventions could have been inferred. 

Against the Society 

• The context significantly signifies the occasions wherein the primary character attempts to battle against the abhorrent methodologies of cultural components.
• Also, cases like corruption, wrongdoings, moral misappropriation, and so forth are the factors that cause conflict with the character in the literature.
• Moreover, it is the protagonist in the literature who often goes into conflict with society.
• The tool will be helpful in the context when a character is compelled to consent to the ethical structure set somewhere in society. 

Self 

• At the point when the person experiences conflict with their mental cycle and is under ordinary contemplation, this tool of the narrative convention is the most appropriate one.
• Also, the context significantly signifies a circumstance when the character is in a predicament to choose in the middle between good and bad decisions.
• Moreover, this tool helps the creator show passionate occurrences in a compelling way before the crowd. 

Another Person 

• The context on this occasion would be the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist.
• Besides, the creator wants to show solid contempt between the two characters.
• The tools will be useful in an unpretentious context, like indirect conflicts between the characters. 

Environment 

• By utilizing this tool of narrative conventions, visualize the effect of disasters on the characters.
• Moreover, the conflict happens significantly because the characters can’t meet their objectives in light of the normal obstacles.
• Well, significant examples of its suggestion are found in old literature like Troy and Odysseus. 

Setting 

• The setting of the tool is significant for the drafted literature since the entire context is based on its establishment.
• Furthermore, variety in setting could even change the whole pitch of the narration.
• Also, the tool of narrating could be portrayed as the foundation of the literature.
• All the components in the story are linked together by setting the narrative conventions. 

Destination Setting 

• The tool is utilized to signify the place in which the referenced story takes place.
• Thus, it is a critical tool in building the establishment of the story.
• Hence, the destination could be signified by a nation, city, or even a little room. 

Period setting 

• The period during wherein the depicted story happens is specified by utilizing this tool of narrative conventions. 

Narrative Conventions | Theme 

Center Theme 

• It is on the central theme of the literature that the entire portrayal of the literature is based.
• Also, the theme of the literature decides the whole tone and style of portrayal. 

Motifs 

• The components with contextual noticeable quality, which now and again develop in the storyline, go under the classification of motifs. 

Symbol 

• Any factor in the literature that signifies any article, character, or place could be named as a symbol.
• Generally, the writer could change the reader’s viewpoint by suggesting the use of symbolic narrative conventions.
• They assume a significant role in giving clarity to the theme of the chosen literature. 

Narrative Conventions | Plot Development 

Exposition 

• The underlying area of the narrative could be classified under this division.
• It has been named as the introduction of the drafted literature.
• Moreover, the writer puts forth a decent attempt to present the context, including characters, contained settings, and so on, in the area of the exposition. 

Complication 

• The earnestness of the portrayal increases at the phase of exposition.
• Moreover, the presence of different conflicts is present in the phase of complication.
• The reader would get a mellow thought regarding the occasions that may happen later in this phase of portrayal.
• The phase of the norm gets upset by the characters in this stage. 

Climax 

• A defining moment is presented in the third phase of the literature.
• Moreover, it is in the climax segment that the reader knows whether the outcomes are agreeable to or against the aims of the protagonist. 

Falling Tension 

• The final products have already been uncovered by this stage.
• Moreover, the tension between the antagonist and protagonist significantly diminishes in this stage.
• The stage sets the stage for the conclusion of the entire literature. 

Denouncement 

• Denouncement is the last phase of literature and is regularly called a conclusion.
• Moreover, the writer gives all the eventual outcomes of the events described in the previous segment of the literature.
• It relies on the writing style of the writer, which decides if the reader can get an agreeable conclusion in the denouncement segment of the literature. 

Narrative Conventions | Descriptive Language 

• The tools under descriptive language are utilized by the writers to expand the commitment level of the literature toward the readers.
• The writer attempts to coordinate with the tendency and taste of the reader by inferring the tools of descriptive language in the introduced literature.
• The writer takes a risk to coordinate his viewpoint with the impression of the reader by utilizing descriptive language tools. 

Figurative Language 

• The tools utilized to introduce concealed importance as opposed to strict significance go under the classification of figurative language.
• Moreover, the utilization of figurative language adds quality to the literature.
• It guarantees the commitment of the reader to the introduced literature since an impressive accentuation is expected to comprehend the figurative language.
• The rich utilization of exaggeration, analogy, personification, allegory, and so on ought to be used by the writer to infer the figurative language. 

Also read: What is Emotive Language? Definition, Example, Use, and Benefits

Imagery 

• The tool of imagery is utilized by the writer to make a visual picture of a particular scene before the crowd.
• It is one of the valuable narrative conventions tools that go under the classification of descriptive language. 

Sensory Imagery 

• The creator attempts to summon the insight and sentiments of the crowd. 

Narrative Conventions | Characters 

• The terms used to portray the characters referenced in the storyline of the literature go under the classification of characterization.
• It is the antagonist and the protagonist in the storyline which is normally used for characterization in the literature. 

Antagonist 

• The negative character or the scoundrel is viewed as an antagonist in the literature.
• Moreover, the inclinations and strategy would be inverse to that of the protagonist.
• The entire storyline observes the clashes between the antagonist and the protagonist.
• The writer attempts to make a negative picture of the antagonist before the crowd, so a view of sickening for the character could be made among the crowd. 

Protagonist 

• The protagonist drives the storyline, and it is around this character that the entire context revolves.
• It is the exercises and the choices made by the protagonist that prompt the different headways in plot development. 

Narrative Conventions | Characterization 

• The writer needs to make a connection between the characters and the crowd.
• For this, the creator utilizes the tool of characterization that could be additionally classified into: – 

Direct Characterization 

The characters in the storyline are directly presented by the writer to the readers. 

Indirect Characterization 

The introduction of the characters before the crowd has been done in an extremely unpretentious manner, and the crowd needs to infer their recognition of it. 

Narrative Conventions | Interaction and relationship 

• The personality and the demeanor of the character are controlled by breaking down the relationships kept up with different characters in the storyline.

Appearance 

• The appearance of the character could give a ton of insights into their personality.
• Moreover, the components identified with appearances like body language, dress, style of writing, and so forth would give a high lucidity in regard to the foundation of the characters. 

Thoughts 

• The instabilities, convictions, discernment, and so on of the character would give a solid picture of the crowd. 

Conduct 

• The conduct of the character is similarly significant to comprehend the point of view held by them.
• Moreover, the normal conduct of the character uncovers a lot about the environment from which the character originates. 

Discoursed 

• The subtleties, like the environment where the character was raised, local land, family foundation, and so on, could be obtained by examining the dialogues. 

Narrative Conventions | Point of View 

• The portrayal of the storyline should be possible by the creator from three different points of view: first-person, second-person, and third-person. 

First-person 

• The entire storyline is described by the protagonist in this methodology.
• The first-person approach would empower the writer to give definite data for the perspective, inclinations, family foundation, and so on, to the audience.
• But, the data given by this methodology might be somewhat one-sided towards the justifications of the protagonist.
• The utilization of first-person pronouns and intelligent clarification could have been found in this methodology. 

Second person 

• The creator expects himself to the present nearness on each event of the storyline.
• The partiality, consequently, could have been kept away from by the creator in this style of portrayal. 

Third Person 

• The methodology is fundamentally the same as that of the second-person portrayal, but the storyteller is omniscient in this case.
• The storyteller knows each character’s psychological cycle and can give an emotional justification from every point of view.
• Third-person pronouns like they, she, he, and so forth could be generally found in the third-person point of view. 

Secondary Narrative Conventions 

The following is the list of secondary narrative conventions.

• Tone 
• Character Development 
• Mood 
• Voice

Tone 

• The tone of a particular piece of literature has influenced the creators’ style.
• Any tone the creators chose would be to their advantage.
• It could be quiet, sentimental, convincing, etc., depending on the case’s context and the character requirements.
• The perspective of the ongoing person in the plot would make a colossal impact on the tone of the depiction.
• When the storyteller’s perspective shifts, there will be a heaviness in tone.
• While the third person would be more neutral and subdued when portraying a similar example, the first person could have a powerful tone on a particular occasion.
• The audience would be drawn in by scenes if the appropriate tone is used.

Character Development 

• The audience will be committed if the character has been developed properly and methodically.
• Without character development, the plot as a whole ceases to be alive.
• For a story play that requires a lot of activity and dramatization, it is pointless to remember boring characters.

Mood 

• The mental state that the audience receives from the portrayal is referred to as the mood.
• Frequently, readers misinterpret the mood of the writing’s tone.
• The effective use of descriptive language tools like imagery has limited the mood of artistic work.

Voice 

• The artwork that the audience grasps has the same inherent voice as its creators.
• If the speaker’s voice fails to reach the audience, the whole point of introducing the literature will be lost.
• The literature referred to as its voice conveys the central theme, belief systems, and other messages to the audience. 

Related post:  Persuasive Text | How to Write an Efficient Persuasive Essay?

Conclusion

We hope you have now gained a clear understanding of the different types of narrative conventions and their importance. In case you have any doubts regarding this subject or if you need an expert to compose an engaging story by including the elements of the narrative convention, then contact us immediately.