Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
In the day 56 post, I explored how the scale of the change in a story informs the narrative fabric. In other words, the scale of the problem the protagonist faces can help us identify whether the narrative should emphasize actions, tactics, or relationships. But here is at least one other factor that also influences this choice. The type of problem related to the primary need at stake (on Maslow’s Hierarchy) adds nuance to the construction of the narrative fabric because the type of problem affects how we frame the events of the story for our readers.
Let’s look at two stories through the lens of scale and fabric: Brooklyn by Colm Toíbín and Black Swan Green by David MItchell. Both are what we would as classify literary coming-of-age stories.
Brooklyn
Scale: This is a character or portrait story. Eilis Lacey, a young woman, moves alone from her small hometown in Ireland to Brooklyn, New York, in the 1950s after a visiting priest finds her a situation. Her problem is about finding satisfaction when she has little control over the circumstances of her life.
Because it’s a character or portrait story, we would typically emphasize individual actions in the fabric of the narrative, but the text in pivotal scenes appears to emphasize Eilis observing and interpreting social cues (for example when Father Flood offers to set her up with a position and place to live in Brooklyn).
Content emphasized: This story is a plot of fortune (see day 48), which focuses on the need for respect. We assess Eilis’s need according to her satisfaction as she attempts to find her place in world. The need arises when an external opportunity disrupts Eilis’s social position.
While a character/portrait story emphasizes personal actions, those actions might manifest differently depending on the specific type of problem in play because different types of actions will be relevant. For example, the actions in a plot of fortune will naturally be more socially/tactically oriented because it is about where the protagonist fits in the world and in the social hierarchy. A story in which the protagonist primarily faces a survival problem will have a different action emphasis, although both stories are fundamentally about the change of an individual.
Given the specific problem, the narration will point to actions that reveal social dynamics, unspoken understandings, power structures, etc. The takeaway is that some types of problems naturally emphasize how actions impact tactics or relationships.
Black Swan Green
Scale: Character or portrait story. Jason Taylor, a 13-year-old boy living in a village in Worcestershire, United Kingdom in the 1980s, must face the truth of his father’s infidelity and his parents’ divorce.
Because it’s a character/portrait story, we would typically emphasize Jason’s individual actions in the fabric of the narrative, and that’s exactly what we find in the majority of the text. Our attention is directed to Jason’s physical actions. The need arises when a mysterious phonecall disrupts his understanding of his reality.
Content emphasized: This story is a plot of thought (see day 48), which focuses on the need for self-actualization. We assess Jason’s need according to his ability to adjust his model of the world (worldview) and make wise choices.
The actions we see are a product of his immediate sensory experience, his internal processing, and his imagination and interpretation of events. In other words, his actions reveal his shifting understanding of the world and how maturely he’s responding to what he observes.
The connection between the type of problem and narrative fabric helps explain why some stories that seem similar on the surface (both literary coming-of-age) have differences in how the narrative emphasis is presented. The same scale of story can have a different way of showing action because the type of problem influences the details the narrator points to, showing the reader what is relevant.
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will often be longer than 400 words.
At the end of the challenge, I will organize and revise the material with intention. For now, the object is to explore and share.