Essential Narrative Structures and Character Archetypes

Narrative Structures

• Ab Ovo: The action starts from the logical beginning, unfolding events in a natural order.
• In Media Res: The starting point lies in the middle of the story, resulting in a disordered temporal sequence with flashbacks.
• In Extremo Res: The starting point is the end of the work.

Narrative Worlds

1. Real or Daily: The everyday world as observed, consistent with the historical reality of the work, utilizing detailed descriptions. (Baldomero Lillo, Marta Brunet)
2. Mythical - Legendary: Fabulous facts involving gods or demigods, often rooted in oral traditions and folk storytelling. (Greek myths, Cantar del Mio Cid, El Caleuche)
3. Marvelous: All events are supernatural or magical.
4. Fantastic: The everyday world is interrupted by an unexpected, unreal event, often exploring profound topics. (Cortázar, Borges, Kafka)
5. Utopian: Descriptions of imaginary, ideal, and perfect states. (Thomas More, Wells). Includes anti-utopia: (Huxley and Orwell).
6. Sci-Fi: The emergence of the fantastic in the everyday world, typically set in a hypothetical future impacted by war or technology. (Ray Bradbury, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov)
7. Dream: Characterized by the incoherent disorder of dreams. (Bombal)
8. Real - Wonderful: The marvelous or fantastic naturally coexists with reality. (Alejo Carpentier, Gabriel García Márquez)

Characters

• Main: The focus of the action (protagonist and antagonist).
• Secondary: Linked to the main characters but lacks a significant role in the development of events.
• Episodic: Lacks major presence; may command, link, or slow the course of events.
• Referred: Characters only alluded to in the story without direct action.

Character Complexity

• Flat: Possess a single highlight trait.
• Round: Possess multiple characterized traits.
• Type: Represent a specific characteristic of a social sector.
• Caricature: Used to criticize an aspect of reality.

Character Development

• Static: Does not change personally.
• Dynamic: Changes behavior throughout the work.

Characters can be characterized by physical appearance (ethopeia) or psychological depth (psychography).

Space of the Event

The spatial dimension is vital to the relationship between narrative elements. This includes the stage, which is the exact spot where the story unfolds, and the frame, which represents the sociocultural context.