Narrative vs Plot
It is common for us to talk in terms of the plot of a story whether it is a novel, a short story, or even a movie. It simply refers to the substance of the story or the main events of the story that are enough to convey the entire sequence. There are many who use the word narrative when what they mean is a plot of the story. There are many similarities between plot and narrative prompting people to think they are synonyms and can be used interchangeably. However, despite similarities, there are differences that will be talked about in this article.
Narrative
If you are telling the story of a movie you recently saw to your friend, you are making use of narrative. It is simply a method of re-telling a story, and it is a version created by the narrator and thus not the real story. It is like keeping a record of what happened earlier. If I say there was a King once upon a time, and also a Queen, I am narrating the events. Narrative is my version of what I saw or heard. A narrator makes use of pronoun I to let the readers know about the story through his perspective. It has to be kept in mind that the narrator is not a central character of the story. Narrative can be referred to as the design of the building or the architecture of the building.
Plot
Plot is the real substance of the story. Plot of a story is what actually unfolds in the story. It is how the author makes use of events inside the story to affect the audience or the reader. It is what happens inside the story.
What is the difference between Narrative and Plot?
• Narrative is the technique of storytelling while the plot is the story, or rather the substance of the story itself.
• Narrative includes the perspective or the emotions and feelings of the narrator while the plot is how the events unfold inside the story.
• Narrative is the design or the architecture of a building while the plot is the building itself.