Lecture 10: Plotting with the Freytag Pyramid
z Another way to vary the Freytag pyramid is to create OHDSIURJJLQJ or a
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point of view of multiple characters. One famous example is
William Faulkner’s $V,/D\'\LQJ, which is narrated from the
point of view of 15 different characters, each speaking in the
¿UVWSHUVRQo Another variation of leapfrogging is one that tells several
equally important stories that remain separate for much of the
book but come together at the end for a single climax. J. R.
R. Tolkien used this approach in 7KH)HOORZVKLSRIWKH5LQJ.
At the end of this book, the overarching story of the quest to
destroy the Ring of Power splits into three equally important
strands that are then followed to the climax of 7KH5HWXUQRI
WKH.LQJ.o Still another variation of contrapuntal narrative is commonly
used by modern historical novelists. Here, two main stories
that are linked, one from the past and one from the present,
are woven together. An excellent example is A. S. Byatt’s
novel 3RVVHVVLRQ, in which the outcome of the historical plot
determines the outcome of the modern one.o Finally, the basic murder mystery is usually a contrapuntal story.
It’s the most basic kind of binary plot there is—who killed the
victim?—but the answer is often found through a combination of
the present-day story and the story of the recent past.Aristotle, 3RHWLFV.
Byatt, 3RVVHVVLRQ.
Eliot, 0LGGOHPDUFK.
Faulkner, $V,/D\'\LQJ.Suggested Reading