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Linear and Non-Linear Plot Structures

This document compares linear and non-linear plot structures. A linear plot follows events in chronological order from a clear beginning, middle and end. A non-linear plot is told out of chronological order and can include flashbacks, foreshadowing, subplots and parallel plots. Examples are given of flashbacks, foreshadowing and subplots from Romeo and Juliet. Students are asked to consider if their journal entries followed a linear or non-linear structure and how it could be edited to fit a non-linear structure.

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Hannah Flores
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3K views14 pages

Linear and Non-Linear Plot Structures

This document compares linear and non-linear plot structures. A linear plot follows events in chronological order from a clear beginning, middle and end. A non-linear plot is told out of chronological order and can include flashbacks, foreshadowing, subplots and parallel plots. Examples are given of flashbacks, foreshadowing and subplots from Romeo and Juliet. Students are asked to consider if their journal entries followed a linear or non-linear structure and how it could be edited to fit a non-linear structure.

Uploaded by

Hannah Flores
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LINEAR AND NON-

LINEAR PLOT
STRUCTURES
OBJECTIVE

• Today we will compare non-linear and


linear plot structures.
DO NOW:

• Recall your favorite childhood memory by


writing in your journal for 5 minutes, when the
timer goes off share what you wrote with one
of your classmates.
LINEAR PLOT STRUCTURE
• A linear plot consists of a series of events that have a clear
beginning, middle and end. The story unfolds in a chronological
order, which means they are told in the order they happened.
• Most linear plots are shown through Aristotle’s pyramid which
shows a beginning, middle, and an end. Linear structure often
follows a chain of cause and effect that leads to a resolution of
the conflict.
LINEAR PLOT STRUCTURE
• Later, Freytag modified Aristotle’s model and added a rising
and falling action to the pyramid. Now instead of just a
beginning, middle, and end we have further actions that add to
the depth of the plot.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTQ-bt5IA3I
NON-LINEAR PLOT STRUCTURE

• A non-linear plot is a story told out of chronological order.


• Includes: Flashbacks, foreshadowing, sub plots, and parallel
plot structures.
FLASHBACK

•  Is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time


from the current point in the story.
FORESHADOWING
• Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of
what is to come later in the story.
• An example of foreshadowing can be seen in Romeo and Juliet:
• “A pair of star-crossed lovers…Doth with their death bury their parents’
strife” (1.1..)
• This line from the prologue of the play hints towards the death of Romeo
and Juliet which happens at the end of the play.
SUB PLOTS

• A subplot is a secondary plot, or a strand of the main plot that runs parallel
to it and supports it.
• In Romeo and Juliet, we also see an example of subplot through the long-
standing rivalry between their two families (the Montagues and the
Capulets) unfolds to increase conflict and add to the drama of their
forbidden romance.
PARALLEL PLOT

• In a parallel plot the writer weaves two or more dramatic plots that are


usually linked by a common character and a similar theme.
COMPARING LINEAR AND NON-LINEAR
PLOT STRUCTURE
• Linear structure:
Chronological order and follows one plot.
• Non-Linear:
Can have multiple plots and is not in chronological order.
ACTIVITY

• Look back at the journal entry we did earlier, do you think you followed a
linear or non-linear plot structure? Brainstorm how you can edit your story
to fit in the non-linear plot structure.
EXIT TICKET

• On a note card, tell me what makes a plot linear and what makes it non-
linear.

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