Freytags Theory

Today we learned about Freytags theory of dramatic narrative, Freytag believed that a text should be divided into five main and distinguishable parts, the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and either the resolution or catastrophe at the end. The exposition is basically the introduction to the text and sets the scene for the rest of the narrative to follow, straight after the narrative is the rising action which is when parts of the literary narrative build up and develop the plot. Immediately after the narrative had been built up is when one of the most important parts of the narrative happens, the climax, the easiest way to explain the climax is by saying that it is when the "plot thickens" and a problem occurs that the character must get past, each genre has its own stereotypical climax story. Following the climax is the falling action which is where a conflict will about to be resolved or there is a final moment of suspense which makes the outcome of the narrative unclear, if the narritive was not following the standard cliched rules. Finally is the resolution, otherwise known as the dénouement, which is where the plot is resolved and everything comes full circle leaving the characters with a sense of normality again. Freytags theory can be devised into a pyramid which shows the full completion of all the stages:

If you build further upon the idea of Freytags theory pyramid you can see that it almost looks like a simplified graph of the narrowing growing and them shrinking to fit with the narrative. I constructed a more detailed graph which shows the same five steps only applied to the music opposed to a literary text: