FRAME NARRATIVES
Image by Dim Hou on Unsplash
As part of my ongoing series on Gothic tropes and themes, this week’s post covers frame narratives—a literary device, such as a journal or letters, nestled within the main narrative. A framing device can serve to introduce a subplot, secondary narration, or an alternate point-of-view. There’s a long history of frame narratives within the Gothic, mystery, and horror genres. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is an early example, where Victor Frankenstein’s diary entries give us a glimpse into his weakening morality, his deteriorating mental state, and his soul-shattering regret at having failed at playing God.
Frame narratives can take many forms, but epistolary content is one of them. It’s one of my favorite tools. In Parting The Veil, an old diary that my main character, Eliza, finds in her room serves as the catalyst to unraveling the mysteries in her husband’s tragic past. There are also several letters within the novel to help introduce Eliza’s backstory and enhance her characterization. I enjoyed writing the epistolary content in PTV, because it enabled me to introduce an important character’s voice from the past that would have otherwise gone unheard.
Frame narratives are also an effective tool when employing an unreliable narrator—another classic Gothic trope. Since many frame narratives are relayed in first person point-of-view, they can be an opportunity to insert clues to confuse the reader and set up a plot twist—or two. One shining example of this is Ruth Ware’s The Turn of The Key (I will never stop talking about this book! It’s masterful). The entire novel is told through the perspective of the main character, through a series of letters to her attorney. Even though it could be argued that this isn’t truly a frame narrative, since the letters are the primary way in which the novel is narrated, the final twists qualify as a frame for the epistolary content. Ware’s novel is layers deep. I love it for that reason.
Interludes are also a frame narrative that can help convey backstory, transition the reader between acts of a novel, or introduce an alternate POV. Often omniscient in tone, an interlude can have the fairytale feel of a storyteller sitting before a fire. Sarah Perry is a genius at these sorts of frame narratives. Both Melmoth and The Essex Serpent contain interludes where we get a wide-angle view of the story where the reader bears witness to things the main character cannot yet see or know. Interludes are best used sparingly, otherwise they can start to feel a bit fourth wall-ish and contrived.
Frame narratives are also a great way to introduce folklore. Alix Harrow does this beautifully in The Once and Future Witches, where she gives classic fairytales a distinctly feminine, bewitching twist. She also includes fictional news stories within her narrative to convey the effects her titular witches are having on the town. It’s very clever and fresh.
A.S. Byatt’s Possession utilizes 19th century-themed poetry and secret love letters between two fictional Victorian writers to frame and pull together two divergent timelines, over a hundred years apart. The central mystery her modern scholarly protagonists are striving to unravel culminates in the discovery of a passionate love story for the ages. This sweeping, dense book is a masterful study in dual timelines and the effective use of frame narratives.
Like nesting Russian dolls, a story within a story, within a story, can help add depth and interest to a novel. Frame narratives can help to direct or confuse the reader, enrich backstory and characterization, and…they’re just plain fun. I intend to include a frame narrative in every novel I write. If you’ve never experimented with frame narratives, I’d encourage you to give them a try! While they are a hallmark of Gothic fiction, they can be used to great effect in any genre.
Purchase links for all books mentioned are hyperlinked within the post.