Global Theme and Plot Structure in English Narrative

Abstract

The present paper attempts to explore the interplay between the thematic structure and plot structure of narrative in English. We hypothesize that if the function of global theme is to give thematic coherence to the narrative, we should be able to see its influence best in the critical places in the plot of the narrative, that is, in the introduction, climax, and conclusion of the narrative. The results from the experiment conducted to test this hypothesis confirm that speakers do not randomly talk about the global theme of the story they are telling, but that they manifest it in specific places, the crucial places in the narrative structure, that is, the introduction, climax and conclusion of the story. These places seem to be exactly the ones where the speaker orients the hearer toward the global theme of the narrative.