What is a Framing Device?
A narrative technique that uses a plot device to frame the telling of a story.
The Secret to Storytelling: A Cheery Guide to Framing Devices
If you've ever read a book, seen a film, or heard a joke, you've likely encountered a framing device. This storytelling technique is used to frame the action, character development, or moral lesson of a story by placing it within another, often larger, narrative. A framing device is like a picture frame or a window frame, providing structure and context for the central story.
Examples of framing devices are ubiquitous in literature and entertainment. A tale told by a narrator to a group of listeners, as in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, is a classic framing device. The story of Scheherazade, who spins tales to avoid execution at the hands of her husband, the king, is another famous example. Even the popular TV show How I Met Your Mother uses the framing device of a father telling his children the story of how he met their mother as a narrative structure.
While framing devices can be used in a number of ways--to set a tone, evoke a certain mood, or create suspense--their main function is to contextualize a story and give it meaning. Understanding this technique can help you become a better writer, as you can use framing devices to shape your stories and guide your reader's experience.
So, next time you pick up a book or settle in for a movie, pay attention to the way the story is framed. You may find a new appreciation for the art of storytelling.
A framing device can be used to set the tone of a narrative and guide the reader's experience. Here are two examples of different framing devices used in literature:
The story of Scheherazade uses a framing device in which each night, the king spares Scheherazade's life to hear the end of the story she tells him, which leads to a new story the following night and so on, for 1,001 nights, building suspense and showcasing Scheherazade's storytelling skill.
Emily Bronte's classic novel uses a framing device in which a visitor stays at Wuthering Heights and is told the story of the Earnshaw family by the housekeeper Nelly Dean, leading to a complex exploration of love, revenge, and class dynamics in 19th-century England.