NarrationWe all love a good story…

What is Narration?

Whenever you…

Recount an event

Tell a story or anecdote to illustrate an

idea

…you are using narration!

What is Narration?

While many of us associate narration only

with short stories and novels, narration is

also effective and useful in nonfiction

writing as well.

Narration is a very useful technique for

academic and/or professional tasks.

What is Narration?

A science writer, wishing to make the

point that many important scientific

discoveries have been made by accident,

one could tell the story of how Sir

Alexander Fleming happened to discover

penicillin one day when he saw that a bit

of mold that had fallen from a culture

plate in his laboratory had destroyed the

bacteria around it.

What is Narration?

A minister, in writing a sermon about

charity, could illustrate and emphasize the

point that charity should not always be

measured in monetary terms by telling

the story of the old woman who spent

hours every week visiting hospital

patients.

What is Narration?

A politician, taking a cue from comedians,

could engage the audience by starting off

with a humorous story, either true or

fictitious.

What is Narration?

A good narrative essay has four essential

features…

1. CONTEXT – The writer makes clear

when the action happened, where it

happened, and to whom.

What is Narration?

A good narrative essay has four essential

features…

2. POINT OF VIEW – The writer

establishes and maintains a consistent

relationship to the action, either as a

participant or as a reporter simply

looking on.

What is Narration?

A good narrative essay has four essential

features…

3. SELECTION OF DETAIL – The writer

carefully chooses what to include,

focusing on those actions and details

that are most important to the story

while merely mentioning or actually

eliminating others.

What is Narration?

A good narrative essay has four essential

features…

4. ORGANIZATION – The writer

organizes the narrative into an

appropriate sequence, often a strict

chronology with a clear beginning,

middle, and end.

Why Do Writers Use Narration?

To ENTERTAIN

Children love to tell stories and have

stories told to them.

Adults read novels and watch dramatized

stories on television, at the movies, and at

the theatre.

Why Do Writers Use Narration?

To REPORT

Give the facts and tell what happened.

Journalists and historians, in reporting

events of the near and distant past,

provide us with information that we can

use in different ways.

◦ To form an opinion on a current issue

◦ To understand why the world is as it is

Why Do Writers Use Narration?

To REPORT

Biographers give us another person’s life

as

◦ A document of an individuals past

◦ A portrait of more general human potential

Scientists recount their experiments so

that we may judge for ourselves whether

their conclusions are to be believed.

Why Do Writers Use Narration?

To INSTRUCT

May represent a straightforward moral.

May make a more subtle point about

ourselves and the world we live in.

Why Do Writers Use Narration?

Narration can be used for several of

these purposes at once.

The goal of the best storytellers is to

report on what happened in such a way

that the reader is entertained and at the

same time comes to a new understanding

of a larger issue.

What to Look for in Reading a

Narrative Essay First, make sure that you can follow the

events of the narrative, that you

understand what’s happening.

Then, define the writer’s purpose and

how the various features of the narrative

work together to support this purpose.

What to Look for in Reading a

Narrative Essay Example #1: Willie Morris’s “On a

Commuter Train”

Notice how Willie Morris uses the four

essential features of narration so

effectively!

What to Look for in Reading a

Narrative EssayHe establishes a clear CONTEXT from the

very beginning:

WHEN: “One afternoon in late August”

WHERE: On the railroad where it

crosses from Manhattan into the Bronx

WHO DID IT HAPPEN TO: The

passengers on the train, including himself

What to Look for in Reading a

Narrative Essay He establishes a first-person point of view

by using the pronoun “I”.

He allows the readers to take in the

events of the narrative directly, as if

through his eyes and ears.

What to Look for in Reading a

Narrative Essay

He chooses his details carefully and well.

He provides just enough information about

the train, the passengers, and the accident so

that readers know what they need to know

without being overwhelmed or bored.

He does not bother with needless data such

as the name of the railroad or the precise

time.

Gives significant details about the boy’s

corpse and the other passenger’s reactions.

What to Look for in Reading a

Narrative Essay

He organizes his story chronologically,

so that the events follow each other

as they naturally occurred.

He uses words such as suddenly, then,

momentary silence, and after the pause

that help transition the piece.

What to Look for in Reading a

Narrative Essay

Morris’s purpose in telling this story is

to make a point.

He doesn’t state his point directly, but

it comes out in the closing sentences

where he reports the bridge players’

reactions to the grisly sight of the

boy’s corpse.

He does not tell his readers what to

think.

What to Look for in Reading a

Narrative EssayWilliam Allen White’s obituary for his daughter

Third-person point of view keeps the focus squarely on his daughter and her activities

Helps the reader mourn her death just as he did

States the point of the story in the first sentence – determining what events he will tell and how he will arrange them

HOMEWORK

Read each of the following essays:

“Stranger Than True” – Barry Winston

(page 87)