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Plot Structure - Freytag's Pyramid

Freytag's Pyramid is a model for analyzing the typical plot structure of stories and novels. It was developed by Gustav Freytag, a 19th century German novelist, who observed common patterns. The pyramid shape depicts the rising action and falling action of plots. It contains 7 parts: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement. The exposition introduces characters and setting. The inciting incident begins the main conflict. The rising action builds excitement. The climax is the most tense moment. The falling action follows from the climax. The resolution solves the main problem. The denouement explains any remaining questions or mysteries.

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743 views1 page

Plot Structure - Freytag's Pyramid

Freytag's Pyramid is a model for analyzing the typical plot structure of stories and novels. It was developed by Gustav Freytag, a 19th century German novelist, who observed common patterns. The pyramid shape depicts the rising action and falling action of plots. It contains 7 parts: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement. The exposition introduces characters and setting. The inciting incident begins the main conflict. The rising action builds excitement. The climax is the most tense moment. The falling action follows from the climax. The resolution solves the main problem. The denouement explains any remaining questions or mysteries.

Uploaded by

khush1802
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2/4/2015

Freytag's Pyramid

English250FictionUnit:Freytag'sPyramid
250 Fiction Terms Lit Analysis

Analyzingastory'splot:Freytag'sPyramid
Gustav Freytag was a Nineteenth
Century German novelist who saw
common patterns in the plots of
stories and novels and developed a
diagram to analyze them. He
diagrammed a story's plot using a
pyramidliketheoneshownhere:

Freytag'sPyramid
1.Exposition:settingthescene.Thewriterintroducesthe
charactersandsetting,providingdescriptionandbackground.
2.IncitingIncident:somethinghappenstobegintheaction.A
singleeventusuallysignalsthebeginningofthemainconflict.
Theincitingincidentissometimescalled'thecomplication'.
3.RisingAction:thestorybuildsandgetsmoreexciting.
4.Climax:themomentofgreatesttensioninastory.Thisis
oftenthemostexcitingevent.Itistheeventthattherising
actionbuildsuptoandthatthefallingactionfollows.

5.FallingAction:eventshappenasaresultoftheclimaxand
weknowthatthestorywillsoonend.
6.Resolution:thecharactersolvesthemainproblem/conflict
orsomeonesolvesitforhimorher.
7.Dnouement:(aFrenchterm,pronounced:daynoomoh)
theending.Atthispoint,anyremainingsecrets,questionsor
mysterieswhichremainaftertheresolutionaresolvedbythe
charactersorexplainedbytheauthor.Sometimestheauthor
leavesustothinkabouttheTHEMEorfuturepossibilitiesfor
thecharacters.
Youcanthinkofthednouementastheoppositeofthe
exposition:insteadofgettingreadytotellusthestoryby
introducingthesettingandcharacters,theauthorisgetting
readytoenditwithafinalexplanationofwhatactually
happenedandhowthecharactersthinkorfeelaboutit.This
canbethemostdifficultpartoftheplottoidentify,asitis
oftenverycloselytiedtotheresolution.

Adaptedfromhttp://users.aber.ac.uk/jpm/ellsa/ellsa_openboat3.html

http://www.ohio.edu/people/hartleyg/ref/fiction/freytag.html

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