Plot is the literary element that describes the structure of a story. It shows the a causal arrangement of events and actions within a story.

Plot Structure

Types of Plot StructurePlots can be told in

Chronological order

Flashback

In media res (in the middle of things) when the story starts in the middle of the action without exposition

Pyramid Plot Structure The most basic

and traditional form of plot is pyramid-shaped.

This structure has been described in more detail by Aristotle and by Gustav Freytag.

Aristotle’s Unified Plot

The basic triangle-shaped plot structure was described by Aristotle in 350 BCE. Aristotle used the beginning, middle, and end structure to describe a story that moved along a linear path, following a chain of cause and effect as it works toward the solution of a conflict or crisis.

Freytag’s Plot Structure

Freytag modified Aristotle’s system by adding a rising action (or complication) and a falling action to the structure. Freytag used the five-part design shown above to describe a story’s plot.

Modified Plot Structure

Freytag’s Pyramid is often modified so that it extends slightly before and after the primary rising and falling action. You might think of this part of the chart as similar to the warm-up and cool-down for the story.

Plot Components

Exposition: is the start of the story, the situation before the action starts

Rising Action: is the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax

Climax: is the turning point, the most intense moment—either mentally or in action

Falling Action: is all of the action which follows the climax

Resolution: is the conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads

Conflict Conflict is the dramatic

struggle between two forces in a story. Without conflict, there is no plot.

Types of Conflict

Human vs. Nature

Human vs. Society

Human vs. SelfInternal Conflict

Human vs. HumanInterpersonal Conflict

Review… 1. Exposition: is setting the scene. The writer

introduces the characters and setting, providing description and background.

2. Inciting Incident: is something that happens to begin the action. A single event usually signals the beginning of the main

conflict. The inciting incident is sometimes called 'the complication'.

3. Rising Action: helps the story builds and gets more exciting.

Review Continued… 4. Climax: is the moment of greatest tension

in a story. This is often the most exciting event. It is the event that the rising action

builds up to and that the falling action follows.

5. Falling Action: are events that happen as a result of the climax and we know that the

story will soon end.6. Resolution: is when the character solves

the main problem/conflict or someone solves it for him or her.

The ending… 7. Dénouement: (a French term, pronounced: day-noo-moh) the

ending. At this point, any remaining secrets, questions or mysteries which remain after the resolution are solved by the characters or explained by the author. Sometimes the author leaves us to think about the THEME or future

possibilities for the characters.

The end continued… You can think of the dénouement as the opposite of the exposition: instead of getting ready to tell us the story by

introducing the setting and characters, the author is getting ready to end it

with a final explanation of what actually happened and how the characters think

or feel about it. This can be the most difficult part of the plot to identify, as it

is often very closely tied to the resolution.