Narrative structure is an important aspect of a novel, because it lays the plot out to the audience in a certain way, which can alter the experience of a reader. For instance, a linear plot in Jane Austen’s novels enables the audience to follow the protagonist intimately. This is often accompanied by other structural features like inner monologues which share the characters’ moments of surprise, sadness, and joy with the reader. Opposing this are framed narrative structures used by authors like Emily and Charlotte Brontë and Italo Calvino, where we read the story through the point of view of someone reading or recounting it. Another example of this is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, where the framed narrative creates an interesting experience of revelation for the reader as they piece together the story from multiple speakers’ perspectives.
