Discourse is the specific way a narrative presents its underlying story.
To understand the difference between narrative and discourse, it's helpful to see them as distinct but related components of storytelling. Based on the provided reference, "discourse refers to the manipulation of that story in the presentation of the narrative." This highlights discourse as the method or style of telling the story within the broader structure of the narrative form.
Understanding Narrative Components
A narrative, in its complete form, can be seen as comprising two core elements: the story and the discourse. The provided reference states that "Story" refers to the actual chronology of events in a narrative, while discourse is how that story is handled in its presentation. Together, "These terms refer, then, to the basic structure of all narrative form."
What is Discourse?
According to the reference, discourse refers to the manipulation of that story in the presentation of the narrative. Think of discourse as the how of the narrative. It's the layer that the audience directly encounters. It involves all the choices made by the storyteller regarding:
- Order of Events: Presenting events out of chronological sequence (e.g., flashbacks, flash-forwards).
- Pacing: Speeding up or slowing down the depiction of events.
- Point of View: Whose perspective the story is told from (first person, third person, etc.).
- Selection: What details are included or omitted.
- Emphasis: How certain events or details are highlighted.
- Narrative Voice: The tone and style of the storyteller.
Essentially, discourse is the process and result of shaping the raw material of the story into a compelling and structured form for the audience.
What is Story?
In contrast, the reference defines "Story" as the actual chronology of events in a narrative. This is the raw material, the sequence of actions and happenings as they occurred in time, independent of how they are told. It's the what of the narrative – the underlying plot points and their natural progression.
For example, in a detective story, the 'story' might be: Detective investigates crime -> finds clues -> identifies suspect -> apprehends suspect. The 'discourse' is how the author chooses to reveal these steps – perhaps starting with the apprehension and then flashing back to the investigation, or telling it from the suspect's point of view, or withholding clues from the reader.
Key Differences Summarized
Here's a simple breakdown of the distinction based on the reference:
| Feature | Story | Discourse |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Chronological sequence of events | Manipulation and presentation of the story |
| Focus | The events themselves | How the events are told |
| Nature | The raw material; the underlying plot | The form, style, and structure of the telling |
| Relation | Part of a narrative form | Part of a narrative form; how the story is presented |
In short, the narrative is the whole package. The story is the sequence of events within it. The discourse is the specific way those events are arranged, presented, and manipulated by the storyteller.
