Plot lecture revised 9 15

How will IT ALL end?
An introduction to Plot

A good story entertains and engages us. We journey with characters who may be very different
from us, may not even be human. What keeps us going is curiosity about what’s going to happen.
With the curiosity may also come tension or fear, but it’s a pleasant kind of tension and a thrilling
fear. “Don’t trust Scar!” we yell to Simba. We feel every blow with Rocky and hope that T'Challa,
the Black Panther, somehow survived being thrown off that cliff. We argue with friends about who
will sit on the iron throne. And even though we knew all along the Titanic is going to sink, we’re
riveted wondering what will happen to Rose and Jack.
Introduction to Plot. ENGL 151L 2
Plot is the backbone of story
telling. It holds everything
else together.

Bonus Points
Plot Analysis
in this
Lecture
For up to 20 Bonus Points, analyze plot
in a film, TV series or novel you know
well (or just watched/read). To do
that, answer the questions in purple
throughout this lecture, and cover
anything else you feel is important or
interesting. Send your answers in by
email.*
When turning in Bonus Point
opportunities, introduce them. I offer
many and it’s helpful to be informed
what I’m looking at. For example,
Below (or attached) is my plot analysis
of the Netflix series “Away” as
described in the plot lecture.

Something’s going to happen
any minute now!
Do you like films in which a
clock counts down to
disaster, as in Independence
Day? If so, you like your
fiction with a strong plot.
There’s a deadline, an
ultimatum, a ticking bomb, a
rush to overcome obstacles
by the time X happens. In
Independence Day, X is just
the annihilation of the whole
human race. No pressure.
Introduction to Plot. ENGL 151L
A good plot builds suspense and keeps us
watching, listening or reading. Ever read a
book so good you don’t want to stop to
eat? Miss your exit because the audio
book has reached the climax of the plot?
Yelped when someone ran in and
interrupted the movie?
4

“In which
we
learn…”
These are the opening words of Neil
Gaiman’s novel Stardust, which was made
into a film of the same title. It then states
a (fantasy) fact that should make readers
curious:
“Chapter One, in which we learn of
the village of Wall and of the curious
thing that occurs there every nine
years.”
Well what happens every nine years? How
close is year nine? The plot has begun.

Plot
moves
the story
forward
 Exposition – We meet the characters, their situations, and
usually a time and place. Usually but not always at the start.
Might be in a flashback. Plants the seeds of a coming
conflict.
 Foreshadowing – At any time before the climax, hints are
given about what is to come. In Deadpool 2, the hero
comments on the heavy-handed foreshadow.
 Inciting incident – Something, or someone, happens and the
characters’ situation is knocked off balance. They run to or
from something. They’re motivated.
 Rising action – As the characters move, conflicts and
problems build tension and reveal who they really are. As
we know people better, we care more, leading to more
suspense.
 Climax – Moment of most suspense, tension, danger. The
turning point. All may be lost. Or not. We hope not (if we
care about the characters).
 Falling action – Questions resolved after the climax. The
cool down time, the big wedding. Usually short.
 Conclusion or Resolution – We see the characters in their
new situation, sometimes a reversal of their starting
situation. Can you think of a film that ends with a reversed
situation? Send me title, plot summary and your critique of
the ending for 10 Bonus Points.

Exposition
Exposition should give readers/viewers enough information to know what’s
going on but not so much that the going never gets going. In the short story “All
Summer in a Day” Bradbury doesn’t explain why and how people are living on
Venus. That’s a “whole ‘nother story” as a story teller might say. It’s history that
would slow down the plot. In a novel, that background might be slipped in after
we become interested in the main characters. All we really need to know is “the
characters, their situations, and, usually, a time and place” (52)*. For “All
Summer in a Day” the time is RIGHT BEFORE THE SUN SHINES FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN SEVEN YEARS! That’s all we need to know.
Pieces set in distant or imaginary places often need more exposition. In Black
Panther, for example, we need basic info about vibranium and how all that
amazing suit works. Luckily, T'Challa's sister Shuri likes explaining the science
behind her new inventions. Notice the bit of exposition/explaining about the suit
and kinetic energy slipped into this action scene.
In some movies a voice-over may tell us what we need, or one character will
reminisce to another. Or the information might just scroll by in weird text across
the dark sky of space, Star Wars style. Long ago in a Galaxy far far away . . .
Additional exposition may be needed mid-story. The 2017 film Get Out gives this
brilliantly by way of a promotional sales video made by the group holding the
main character prisoner. In it we find out, along with him, the cruel details of
what they intend to do, and how. That the video is for “customers” of the vile
process makes it more plausibly detailed. And creepy.
Bonus Plot Analysis: Where and how does the film, series or book you’re
thinking of fit in needed background info about the characters, their situations
and the time and place? Did it work for you? Too much info, too little?
*All page numbers are in our textbook unless indicated otherwise.

Strong foreshadowing in Get Out
In the 2017 film Get Out, even the title
foreshadows something bad. And yet we watch.
The main character’s best friend strongly warns
him not to go to his girlfriend’s house in the
country. And yet he goes.
Someone there says right to him “Get out!” And
yet he stays.
The disturbing details pile up until he realizes
he Has. To. Get. Out. Now. And it’s too late. That’s
the horror part.
“Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run
by on their way to incredible destinations.”
― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

Inciting
incident
Nearly every story (not to mention
every bad day) has one: an incident
that gets the action going (incites it). A
house guest arrives, a husband needs
money for his sick wife’s medicine, the
sun comes out on Venus for the first
time in years, a space ship appears in
the sky, Santa’s reindeer get sick, the
virus escapes the lab, someone
inherits a million dollars but to get the
will says they have to ______
[something really hard].
Bonus Plot Analysis: What’s the
inciting incident in your piece?

Rising
Action
Suspense rises as characters try to overcome Obstacles and
work out internal and external Conflicts.
To use Independence Day again, the Jeff Goldblum character,
David Levinson, discovers the timer counting down to an alien
invasion. He's in New York. He must get to The President in D.C.
to warn him.
But he doesn’t know how to drive (obstacle). He fights the chaos
to find his father, who does know how to drive, and they head
for D.C.
But everyone is leaving D.C. so . . . traffic (obstacle). And his dad
drives so slow (obstacle). But they get there at last. They pull up
in front of the Whitehouse and David rigs up a Satellite phone to
call his ex-wife. Oh did we mention…little obstacle here: David’s
ex-wife a) has been refusing to speak to him, and b) happens to
be the chief of staff to The President.
Yes, OBSTACLE. She’s won’t talk to him or let him through to the
president.
M e a n w h i l e . . . the clock is ticking down to the alien
invasion.
Bonus Plot Analysis: What obstacles and conflicts build tension in your piece?
Is there enough, or do you feel more was needed to hold your interest and
build suspense? What might have been added?

Climax
The climax is when suspense and tension are highest.
It’s that moment when you do not go for popcorn. In
Titanic, the action climaxes when the ship is about to
go down. Will they make it?! Perhaps the emotional
climax is the moving scene in the water when Jack
sacrifices himself for love. (I still think two could have
for on the piece of wood.)
Climax is in the eye of the beholder. In the hands of a
skilled storyteller though most of the audience
should be on the edge of their seats at about the
same time.
Bonus Plot Analysis: What would you say is the
climax of your piece? If that’s hard to answer, maybe
the piece you picked just doesn’t have a strong plot.
Some very good movies are not heavily plotted (The
Tree of Life is a good example and Before Sunset).
Here’s one list of heavily plotted movies.

Resolution
• After the climax, tension drops.
There’s relief, humor, joy, peace. The
writer might let us know where
everyone is or where they’re going
next. In Independence Day, the
scientist and his ex get back together
after he and Will Smith save the
planet. In Get Out, the friend who
warned the main character not to go
to the country gets to say “I told you
so.” And in Titanic we see literal
snapshots of the good life the
surviving half of the happy couple
lived after the disaster.
• This after-climax time is sometimes
also called the Denouement – French
for untying the knot (the knot of the
plot that is). Whatever we call it, it’s a
satisfying part of the plot.
Bonus Plot Analysis: How long is the resolution part of your
film/novel? Did you find it satisfying? Are all the lose ends
tied up, or are some questions left hanging?
SPOILER ALERT. Danger over, planet saved, cigars lit, divorce papers torn
up! Independence Day has a long, happy resolution as several plot lines
conclude. We see the alien ships taken down by nations around the world,
the science-guy Jeff Goldbloom character is re-united with his estranged
wife, and the Will Smith character is thanked by the president.

Those Twisted
Plots
Wait, what, he killed Lila?
How to Get Away with Murder fans were
rocked by the ending of season 2.
Flashbacks supplied the missing puzzle
pieces that made it all come together. Er,
sort of.
The Statue of Liberty showing up at the
end of Planet of the Apes is a famous, if
dated, example of a plot twist. Spoiler
alert: They thought they were on another
planet run by apes when really they were
on a future earth. Run by apes.
In the Forum we may discuss plot twists
that worked well and others that felt
contrived. Where do you stand on the
ending of The Sixth Sense?

TMU
(The
Marvel
Universe)
In super hero stories, characters
overcome tremendous inner and
outer obstacles as they strive to meet
their goals, escape their doubts, face
their inner demons and enemies to
achieve their destiny.
For up to 10 Bonus Points, send an
email about a fictional character who
inspires you. What obstacles and
conflicts do they overcome? What
does their journey reveal about their
character, and about human (or
superhuman) nature? How are you
like this character?

A
Thought
about
Plot
Some writers say plot is an over-rated,
artificial way to think about a story.
Stephen King explains that he doesn’t
plan out plots. He just puts someone in a
situation and keeps writing to see what
happens.
Life has put all of us in situations from
time to time, maybe even from the start.
Story telling was first born – and lives on
through every new media that comes
along – because it lets us reflect on all
that happens to us, and all that we make
happen as we reach for our goals and
dreams.

This lecture and the
React & Reflect Essay
This first essay invites you to link your reactions to any
assigned piece to a literary element we’ve studied.
(You might opt instead to delve into a life experience
of your own that relates, or you can go both ways).
You can choose the piece first and pair it with an
element, or choose an element you feel you
understand well and pick a suitable piece. Everything
we’ve studied has a tone and characters. For plot,
stories and TV drama will work best.

Plot
Questions to
develop a
React &
Reflect Essay
 Did this piece make you wonder How will this all turn out?
Did you feel curious or tense? Then it’s a good piece to pair
with plot.
 How well did the piece fit in any needed exposition? Too
much, too little?
 Is there little action but still some type of suspense for you?
Great. Explain that.
 Are events told in the order they happened, or jumbled? Do
they start in the middle? How did that affect your
experience?
 What part / moment felt like the climax to you? Anything
foreshadow that?
 Is there lots of action but no real suspense? Weak plot? Feel
free to be a critic. Sometimes an oppositional stance makes
essay writing easier.
 What obstacles did the main character overcome?
 Are obstacles & conflicts more internal (as in “Cathedral,”
“The Story of an Hour”) or external (“King of the Bingo
Game,” “Where are You Going…”). Do characters battle with
themselves or with someone or some force outside? A mix?
Break it down in your essay.
 What scenes and quotes from the piece really show the
moving parts of the plot?
 Does “Rat Ode” or another poem we’ve studied have a kind
of plot? Did it hold your interest not just with the language
and force of the deliver, but with what was happening? If so,
could be a good essay. I like risk-taking writers.
Also see “Questions about Plot” on page 55-56.
You could structure your essay on those questions.

Plot
Questions
for the
Compare &
Contrast
extended
option
(or essay #2)
 How plotted is each piece? What type of plot is
each (p. 55)?
 Which plot did you enjoy more? Why?
 Does each piece include obstacles & conflicts that
force characters to make choices and change?
Which one does that more?
 What created curiosity or suspense for you in
each piece?
 How well do the authors fit in needed exposition?
 Does one rely on flashbacks more than the other?
 Are the obstacles mainly inner or outer
(psychological or social)?
 How exciting is each climax? Which one works
better for you?
 What foreshadowed the climax? (Re-reading will
help you see the hints that point to the climax.)
 Do both pieces have a resolution section?
 Would one piece be better if it had a plot more
like the other piece?

Movie Night soon? - Earn Bonus Points
Use this simple graphic mentioned earlier or the one on page 51 to chart the plot of a film
right after you see it. Just write a few words about what happens in each section. Or put your
analysis into a paragraph or two. Feel free to adapt the graphic. Your film may have much
less or more rising action, for example, or have a long flashback that has its own parallel plot.
Have fun with it.
10-20 Bonus Points. For the full 20 include a critique: How well did the plot work? Any
implausible plot twists, boring data dumps, confusing flashbacks, jerky pace, disappointing or
unbelievable climax?
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Plot lecture revised 9 15

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Plot lecture revised 9 15