What is a Narrative?

What Is A Narrative?
To start, a Narrative is a type of writing that is intended for the purpose of telling a story. Often, it has to do with detailed events, settings, dilemmas, etc. It is usually told from the speaker’s point of view (this would be a first person perspective). However, it is not limited to only being told in that way. It can also be told from other perspectives such as the second or third person point of view. Narrative is a term that is sometimes confined to only being used in an academic sense. This is not the sole case of a narrative’s use.

Over the history of human kind, the human species has been telling stories since the origin of communication. The human race, as a whole has always been a “storytelling” community. It thrives on it. As human beings, one specific trait of stories that is craved more than most is the sense of novelty. This means that the one thing most people desire when listening to a story is to hear something new or foreign to them, so as to learn something not known prior. Narratives can be used in a variety of ways, both fictional and factual. That is the inherent beauty of a narrative: it doesn’t necessarily have to be true to be interesting.

Why Do You Need To Know?
Knowing what a narrative is can be very helpful in the ENGL 101 class because there is a narrative writing assignment that students must complete. The purpose of this assignment is to tell a story, but more specifically a story with a purpose. Students are given two options for this essay. They can either write about a personal experience dealing with a specific person in their life, or they can write about a place that they feel is special to them. Whichever the case, the point to the essay they choose must be clear. Another key is that the essay must display all qualities of a narrative, which will be explained throughout this passage.

What Makes Up a Narrative?
In most cases a narrative can be analyzed for five specific components to fit the criteria effectively. A narrative should always include a clearly identified event: something is happening and the audience should know at some point exactly what that thing is, rather than being confused. The setting of the story should be very clear and descriptive. If the audience had to picture where the story takes place, they should be able to do so without much of a struggle. There should be a consistent amount of descriptive details throughout any narrative. Whether it be the people, places, things, or situations of a story, the audience should be able to clearly understand the various different aspects of the piece of writing. Point of view is a key to any good story. Once a point of view is determined, it must be kept consistent for a narrative to be effective. Finally, any story must have a clear point. Why is the story being written? This should be clear enough for a reader to pick up on at some point in a narrative.

The Clearly Identified Event

 * The first analytic criterion of any given narrative is a clearly identified event. If a story is being told, then there will be an overall subject matter that should be apparent. “What is happening?” is the question that a clearly identified event would be answering. For example, if there was a story about a puppy that lost its way, the story should clearly tell about a lost puppy.

A Setting

 * Another important factor in a narrative is a clear setting.  A clear setting will answer the question "Where/when does the story take place?” The audience (through details) should be able to tell the location of the story (whether visually or contextually) and when (time period, season, year, etc.)

Descriptive Details

 * Descriptive details are a major part in providing clarity in a story. The right amount of details can give the audience an accurate and appropriate description of what characters are in a story, what the scene may look/feel/sound like, or what events are taking place. This may  be one of the more essential parts of a narrative because it can be tied to most other parts included in them.

Point of View

 * A point of view is the perspective from which a story is being told. First, second, and third person point of views are  used to tell a story. First person p.o.v. involves the use of the word “I” to tell who is telling the story. Second person perspective involves variations of the word “you” or “your” to tell who is experiencing the events of the story. Third person point of view can be related to the first person perspective. Except in place of the word “I” in those instances, would instead be an actual name so as to infer that the story is about somebody else, instead of the person who is telling the story.

The Purpose/Point

 * Any story should have a discernable point or “purpose” to its telling. “Why is the tale being told? What is the reason for the story to have happened?” These are questions that should be answered by having a clear point to the narrative. For example, if the author wants the audience to learn about how a car works, then there should be a clear description of the parts and processes involved. The audience shouldn’t be confused as to why the story was written.