Definition:
An account of a sequence of events, usually in chronological order. One of the progymnasmata. See also:
- Writing a Narrative Paragraph
- Compose a Narrative Essay
- Checklist for a Narrative Essay
- Narratio
- Narration
- Plot
- The Hills of Zion, by Mencken
- A Hanging, by George Orwell
- Updike's Descriptive Narrative
- 50 Essay Topics: Narration
Etymology:
From the Latin, "knowing"Examples and Observations:
- "The barber was cutting our hair, and our eyes were closed--as they are so likely to be. . . . Deep in a world of our own, he heard, from far away, a voice saying goodbye. It was a customer of the shop, leaving. 'Goodbye,' he said to the barbers. 'Goodbye,' echoed the barbers. And without ever returning to consciousness, or opening our eyes, or thinking, we joined in. 'Goodbye,' we said, before we could catch ourself. Then, all at once, the sadness of the occasion struck us, the awful dolor of bidding farewell to someone we had never seen. We have since wondered what he looked like, and whether it was really goodbye."
(E.B. White, "Sadness of Parting," The New Yorker, May 4, 1935) - "In narrative writing, an author has a chance to make his or her mark on the world by relating a story that only he or she can tell. Whether it comes from a personal experience or is one that the writer has imagined, the point of a narrative is to bring one's subject to life. By using sensory details, the five Ws and H (who, what, where, when, why, and how), and basic story structure, any subject can be made exciting."
(Lauren Spencer, A Step-by-Step Guide to Narrative Writing, Rosen, 2005) - "Narrative tension or narrative 'pull' is just as important in creative nonfiction as it is in fiction. . . . [Y]ou need to think about when to withhold information and when to reveal it."
(Kristen Iversen, Shadow Boxing: Art and Craft in Creative Nonfiction, Pearson, 2004)
Pronunciation: NAR-a-tiv
