Frame story

The frame narrative ( frame story ) is a literary technique that can be defined as follows:

" The narrative framework is a special form of the multi- telling. In its simple form it manifests itself as an epic text with a characteristic, the structure of the narrative dominant Zweischichtigkeit. This is such that the first text layer (the frame ), the second ( the internal narrative) surrounds or is it just preceded and constituted an oral narrative situation in which one or more non-identical with the frame narrator narrator one or more listeners one or more past Done tell free. "

To even the narrative framework with multiple frames ( also box frame narrative) to meet the definition can be extended as follows:

" The Zweischichtigkeit the simple narrative framework is called in frame narratives with double frame, also box frame narratives, expanded into a three-layered, in which the second text layer constitutes a further oral narrative situation and thus to the framework of a single narrative of the second degree is. Theoretically, the expansion of multiple layers is not limited, so the internal narratives x. Be the degree possible. "

The framing story in world literature

Among the most famous frame stories include:

• " The Arabian Nights ": The protagonist Scheherazade begins to tell stories to the king to delay an execution; at the end of the night, she has arrived at such an exciting point that the king necessarily want to hear the continuation and execution suspends. The following night it goes on. The long overdue execution eventually no longer takes place.

• " Decameron " ( probably originated from 1349 to 1353 ) by Giovanni Boccaccio: In the city of Florence in 1348 breaks out an epidemic. Boccaccio invents the following frame action: seven girls and three young men want to escape from the plague and find in a remote country house protection. To pass the time, try the refugees to chat wherever possible. Therefore, they tell each other stories for ten days. After ten days and ten times ten amendments the group returns safely to Florence.

Both works present the act of storytelling as a healing hydrating action.

• " The Saragossa Manuscript " ( created 1797-1815 ) is a box frame narrative, which is stepped up to six levels of narration.

Some examples in the German literature

The frame narrative ( frame story ) was in the German literature of the 19th Century, very popular. Are known, inter alia:

• Goethe's " Conversations of German Emigrants " (1795 )
• Clemens Brentano: " story of the brave and the beautiful Annerl Punch " (1817 )
• Franz Grillparzer: " The monastery at Sendomir " (1828 ) and " The poor minstrel " (1847 )
• Jeremias Gotthelf: " The Black Spider " (1842 )
• Ferdinand von Saar: " Innocent " (1865 )
• Gottfried Keller: " Zurich Novellas " (1876-1877), " The Epigram " (1880-1881)
• Conrad Ferdinand Meyer: "The Holy " (1879 ) and "The Marriage of the monk " (1883 /84)
• Theodor Storm: " The Ghost Rider " (1888 )
• ETA Hoffmann: " Das Fräulein von Scuderi "
• Adalbert Stifter: " limestone "
• Stefan Zweig: " The gunman "