Which Events Are Significant
IntroducedA narrative is events related to a conflict
- A story, or narrative, is delivered through a series of events that relate to a conflict.
- So the conflict is the thread; events are what hang on it.
- An event with no relation to the conflict is scenery, however dramatic.
A picnic may be delightful, but if it never touches the conflict, it is the plot’s lunch break.
A narrative is delivered through events that relate to a conflict.
The conflict is the thread; events are what hang on it.
Episodes, encounters, scenes
- Events include episodes, encounters and scenes that can introduce and develop a plot.
- The three words are not decorative: an encounter puts two characters together, an episode is self-contained, a scene is continuous in place and time.
- Naming which kind you are analysing already sharpens the answer.
Select all the kinds of events the CED names.
A summary is a mode of narration, not a kind of event.
Match each word to what it specifies.
Naming which kind you are analysing already sharpens the answer.
Significance is relational
- The significance of an event depends on its relationship to the narrative, the conflict, and the development of characters.
- So significance is never a property of the event by itself.
- A death can be insignificant; a letter not sent can be the centre of a novel.
Which relationship does this event have?
Sort each event by the relationship that makes it significant.
The significance of an event depends on...
A duel that changes nothing is less significant than a silence that changes everything.
Dramatic is not the same as significant. The CED makes significance depend on an event's relationship to the narrative, the conflict and character development — so a duel that changes nothing is less significant than a silence that changes everything.
Test an event by asking whether it moves the narrative, touches the ____, and develops a character.
Three questions, one for each relationship the CED names.
Testing an event for significance
- Ask three questions, one for each relationship the CED names.
- Does it move the narrative? Does it touch the conflict? Does it develop a character?
- An event that answers yes to all three is where an essay should be built.
Choosing an event to write about
- On an exam you will be given a prompt and must choose the event yourself.
- Choose one that scores on all three relationships, not the one you remember best.
- The best-remembered event is often the most dramatic, which is not the same thing.
A letter is written and not sent. Nothing visible happens. But it moves the narrative (the misunderstanding survives), touches the conflict (she chooses her family over him), and develops her (she can now do the thing she said she never would). Three relationships out of three.
A narrative is events that relate to a conflict. Events include episodes, encounters and scenes that introduce and develop plot. Significance depends on an event's relationship to the narrative, the conflict and character development — so test an event on all three, and remember that dramatic ≠ significant.