Chapter 6, Narrative Summary and Analysis

During the 20th century, study of the novel dominates literary education. It is also the most popular form of literature among readers. The appeal of the narrative is attributed to the gratification of hearing and telling stories. Aristotle says that plot is the most important part of a story and to be satisfying, a story must contain a premise, a conflict and a resolution. The conclusion, however, ideally must have a tie-in to the beginning. The structure that connects the parts of a story is its plot. The discourse of the story is how the plot is presented, i.e., from which character's point of view. The plot is something the reader garners from the text—it is not something that is provided in a sentence or paragraph at the beginning of the narrative. Reader satisfaction stems from...