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Conflict (narrative)

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Conflict in narrative comes in many forms. "Man versus man", such as is depicted here in the battle between King Arthur and Mordred, is particularly common in traditional literature, fairy tales and myths.[1]

Conflict is a major element of narrative or dramatic structure in European and European diaspora literature starting in the 20th century that adds a goal and opposing forces to add uncertainty as to whether the goal will be achieved. In narrative, conflict delays the characters and events from reaching a goal or set of goals. This may include main characters or it may include characters around the main character.

Despite this, conflict as a concept in stories is not universal as there are story structures that are noted to not center conflict such as Griot, morality tales, Kishōtenketsu, Ta'zieh and so on.

History

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Conflict, as a concept about literature, and centering it as a driver for character motivation and event motivation mainly started with the introduction of Conflict Theory from the 19th century. It moved to literature with Craft of Fiction by Percy Lubbock in Craft of Fiction in 1921[2]. He spends the majority of his treaties on fiction arguing past stories were all about conflict, particularly Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, though it was previously classed as a "Morality Tale" using what would later be coined in 1967 as The Death of the Author, as his main literary theory. He mainly focused on conflict in events, rather than in characters.

This later gained traction with the introduction of character having conflicts with Lajos Egri's work on character throughout his body of instructive manuals on writing. He attempted to apply the idea of psychology to characters using mainly Sigmund Freud. Freud also drew heavily from conflict theory.

Though this work has been attributed to Aristotle's Poetics, Aristotle himself did not promote conflict as a major force in narrative works. He argued for morality through pity and fear being the main point of the tale.[3] This error was mainly because of Syd Field's Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting where he invokes Aristotle's name in his arguments about conflict.

By the time of the 1980's, conflict was considered a cornerstone of all fiction[4], though this was not true in the 19th century. The 19th century had morality tales, realism, absurdism, etc. All previous literature was often retconned to be about conflict, and argued into being about conflict, even if contemporaries didn't say it was. The main targets of this were often Shakespeare and Aristotle.[5][6][7][8]

In the 1980's conflict was justified, rather than with conflict theory, with saying that it added interest to the story.[4] The idea is that conflict brings tension to the story. The theory is tension adds interest.

Bertolt Brecht didn't think that conflict was the point of the plot, but conflict should be a starting point to a point of transformation, of uplift to transform the whole point of theater into being about fun.[9] He was known for hating Aristotle, commenting: "[B]y Aristotle's definition the difference between the dramatic and epic forms was attributed to their different methods of construction."[10]

Basic nature

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Conflict in literature refers to two different things. One is conflict in events. And the other is conflict in character. These were later conceptualized as internal or external.

When conflict is about events, these are often called Act of God, or sometimes Deus ex machina. The variety of these are not always in the character's control, which means they are external, or reactive.

When conflict is about character, this can be external or internal. External would be because it's in the purview of another character to decide and the character lacks agency. Internal is where the character is struggling with themselves. These struggles with the character doesn't always have to be with a proscribed villain, or even an antagonist, it can be simply the characters clashing in motivation from moment to moment.

There may be multiple points of conflict in a single story, as characters may have more than one desire or may struggle against more than one opposing force.[11] When a conflict is resolved and the reader discovers which force or character succeeds, it creates a sense of closure.[12] Conflicts may resolve at any point in a story, particularly where more than one conflict exists, but stories do not always resolve every conflict. If a story ends without resolving the main or major conflict(s), it is said to have an "open" ending.[13] Open endings, which can serve to ask the reader to consider the conflict more personally, may not satisfy them, but obvious conflict resolution may also leave readers disappointed in the story.[13][14]

Classification

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The basic types of conflict in fiction have been commonly codified as "man against man", "man against nature", and "man against self."[15] Although frequently cited, these three types of conflict are not universally accepted. Ayn Rand, for instance, argued that "man against nature" is not a conflict because nature has no free will and thus can make no choices.[16] Sometimes a fourth basic conflict is described, "man against society".[17][18] Some of the other types of conflict referenced include "man against machine" (The Terminator, Brave New World), "man against fate" (Oedipus Rex), "man against the supernatural" (The Shining) and "man against God" (A Canticle for Leibowitz).[19][20]

Man against man

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"Man against man" conflict involves stories where characters are against each other.[15][17] This is an external conflict. The conflict may be direct opposition, as in a gunfight or a robbery, or it may be a more subtle conflict between the desires of two or more characters, as in a romance or a family epic. This type of conflict is very common in traditional literature, fairy tales and myths.[1] One example of the "man against man" conflict is the relationship struggles between the protagonist and the antagonist stepfather in This Boy's Life.[21] Other examples include Dorothy's struggles with the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Tom Sawyer's confrontation with Injun Joe in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.[1]

Man against nature

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"Man against nature" conflict is an external struggle positioning the character against an animal or a force of nature, such as a storm or tornado or snow.[15][17] The "man against nature" conflict is central to Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, where the protagonist contends against a marlin.[22] It is also common in adventure stories, including Robinson Crusoe.[1] The TV show Man vs. Wild takes its name from this conflict, featuring Bear Grylls and his attempts to survive nature.

Man against self

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With "man against self" conflict, the struggle is internal.[15][17] A character must overcome their own nature or make a choice between two or more paths—good and evil; logic and emotion. A serious example of "man against himself" is offered by Hubert Selby Jr.'s 1978 novel Requiem for a Dream, which centers around stories of addiction.[23] In the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, published in 1994, as well as in its 1999 film adaptation, the unnamed protagonist struggles against himself in what is revealed to be a case of dissociative identity disorder.[24] Bridget Jones's Diary also focuses on internal conflict, as the titular character deals with her own neuroses and self-doubts.[23]

Man against society

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Sometimes a fourth basic conflict is described, "man against society".[17] Where man stands against a man-made institution (such as slavery or bullying), "man against man" conflict may shade into "man against society".[19] In such stories, characters are forced to make moral choices or frustrated by social rules in meeting their own goals.[1] The Handmaid's Tale, The Man in the High Castle and Fahrenheit 451 are examples of "man against society" conflicts.[19] So is Charlotte's Web, in which the pig Wilbur fights for his survival against a society that raises pigs for food.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Nikolajeva, Maria (2005). Aesthetic Approaches to Children's Literature: An Introduction. Scarecrow Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-8108-5426-0.
  2. ^ Lubbock, Percy (2006-08-01). The Craft of Fiction.
  3. ^ "The Poetics - 14 (Aristotle on the Art of Poetry)". www.authorama.com. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  4. ^ a b Roberts, Edgar V.; Henry E. Jacobs (1986). Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Prentice-Hall. p. 103. ISBN 013537572X.
  5. ^ "Conflict In Shakespeare". No Sweat Shakespeare. 2016-02-21. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  6. ^ "Human Conflict in Shakespeare". Routledge & CRC Press. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  7. ^ Review, The Blue; admin (2020-02-18). "Aristotle and Conflict". The Blue Review. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  8. ^ Roston, Murray (1980), Roston, Murray (ed.), "The Arch Antagonist", Milton and the Baroque, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 50–79, doi:10.1007/978-1-349-04982-0_2, ISBN 978-1-349-04982-0, retrieved 2025-03-15
  9. ^ Bertolt Brecht. Internet Archive. Philadelphia : Chelsea House Publishers. 2002. ISBN 978-0-7910-6363-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ From an essay by Brecht probably written in 1936; Brecht (1964, 70).
  11. ^ Abbott, H. Porter (2008). The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Cambridge University Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-521-71515-7.
  12. ^ Abbott (2008), 55–56.
  13. ^ a b Toscan, Richard. "Open Endings". Playwriting Seminars 2.0. Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  14. ^ Emms, Stephen (February 10, 2010). "Some conclusions about endings". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  15. ^ a b c d Elizabeth Irvin Ross (1993). Write Now. Barnes & Noble Publishing. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7607-4178-8.
  16. ^ Rand, Ayn (2000). The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers. Penguin. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-452-28154-7.
  17. ^ a b c d e Lamb, Nancy (2008). The Art And Craft Of Storytelling: A Comprehensive Guide To Classic Writing Techniques. F+W Media, Inc. pp. 80–81. ISBN 978-1-59963-444-9.
  18. ^ Stoodt, Barbara (1996). Children's Literature. Macmillan Education AU. pp. 33–. ISBN 978-0-7329-4012-6.
  19. ^ a b c Morrell, Jessica Page (2009). Thanks, But This Isn't for Us: A (Sort Of) Compassionate Guide to Why Your Writing Is Being Rejected. Penguin. pp. 99–101. ISBN 978-1-58542-721-5. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  20. ^ Caldwell, Stacy; Catherine Littleton (2011). The Crucible: Study Guide and Student Workbook (Enhanced Ebook). BMI Educational Services. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-60933-893-0. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  21. ^ Ballon, Rachel (2011). Breathing Life Into Your Characters. Writer's Digest Books. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-59963-342-8.
  22. ^ Ballon (2011), p. 135.
  23. ^ a b Ballon (2011), p. 133.
  24. ^ Pallotta, Frank (20 May 2014). "'Fight Club' Has A Bunch Of Hidden Clues That Give Away The Film's Big Twist Ending". Business Insider.
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  • Literary terms Dictionary Online. [1]
  • The "Basic" Plots In Literature. Information on the most common divisions of the basic plots from the Internet Public Library organization. [2]
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