According to Dramatica Theory, is the denouement the finishing up of the signposts that happen after the OS “Current” turns to “Outcome”?
In other words (the following in any order)
OS P, R
MC P, R
IC P, R, C
RS P, R, C
OS C
MC C
----then—
=denouement
OS O
MC O
etc anything left (IC O, RS O)
It’s more likely a repeat, or summary, of the story’s outcome after the narrative has finished (outside of the Storyform). Basically, an opportunity to restate the Storyform’s message (probably in those cases where the story itself wasn’t good enough to get the point across).
It could also be a wrap-up of subjective Throughlines after the Objective Story has finished.
Really, it could be anything since it’s a Storytelling/Audience Reception device. It’s not an integral part of Storyforming/Storyencoding (the Storyform).
A denouement is not necessary. I would broadly say that it’s when the MC Unique Ability shows up at the critical time to cause success or failure, since that feels like a “coming together of threads” which is how I characterize the denouement (a term that only ever comes up when someone else brings it up).
So maybe my question is this… Is the CURRENT element of Signpost 4 the Climax of the story?
This is helpful. So anything after this would be “tying up the loose strings.”
It’s always hard to talk about these things in Dramatica terms—which are about theme—because you are talking about plot and audience reception.
It really depends on how you tell the story, but generally I would say that anything after the OS is resolved would feel like tying up loose strings.
I’ve always loved a good denouement. I think at some point after learning Dramatica I must have decided that this was the definition of a denouement – everything after the Goal has been achieved. Especially good when conflict remains in the other throughlines. Maybe something like Judgment or Resolve is still up in the air. Denouement is also great for communicating other plot points like Cost & Dividends.
My favorite denouement is in Neil Gamain’s Neverwhere. It’s like, with the OS resolved, you are that much more desperate for the MC, IC, and RS throughlines to turn out how you hope.
I tried to do something similar in my current project, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.
What I’ve learned from this thread is that I don’t know what a denouement is.
Isn’t it a spoken windup of previous action/storytelling, so tying up? The original source of the word seems Latin based, “… from Latin nodare, from nodus knot” [mirriam webster), which emotionally seems to indicate it all. You’ve just given the audience a complicated knot of story/plot/etc. and you want to make sure they do untangle it to reach understanding, before walking out of the performance.
Dramatica, to my knowledge/understanding does not account for the denouement. The easiest way for me to explain is an example. With full credit to Mary Robinette Kowal for this sample flash fiction story that is widely available on youtube
Hydraulic fluid dripped out of the rollercoaster’s AI straight on to Chelsea’s jockey badge. Where the heck was that leak? If she didn’t manage to get the coaster back online before the race she’d have to forfeit her entry money. Not a gosh darn suggestion from the troubleshooter on her head’s up display had isolated the problem.
Fine, it was time to improvise.
Chelsea stuck her hand into the AIs guts and traced the slippery fluid up as far as she could go. The interior of the rollercoaster was still cold from sitting overnight in the cryo-bay. Condensation clung to the walls and mixed with the hydraulic fluid coating her fingers. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine the interior as she ran past the junction box, and sudden heat stung her fingers. Chelsea jerked back, cracking her head on the toolbox behind her. “Gosh darn it all to heck.”
Shaking her hand she glowered at the rollercoaster. “You know if I have to forfeit this entry money, I’m going to have to sell you just to pay rent and you’ll probably wind-up in scrap. She reached in to the chassis again. “Please, please, let me find the leak?”
Her headsup display lit up with what looked like a diagnostic message from the AI that was supposedly offline.“The leak is from the thermocoupler in my right breaking mechanism but fluid dynamics make it appear to come from the manifold.”
Chelsea’s mouth dropped open. “If you knew that all a long…” She closed her eyes cursing her own stupidity.
Three years as an AI jockey, and you think she would remember that even in a rollercoaster the temperamental things needed the magic word. Next time she’d say please sooner.
The very last line is the the denouement. It’s the tick where the audience is sure that the MC/Protag really got the lesson/solved the problem of the story.
Dramatica, to my understanding has it’s last story beat when the AI helps and “problem is solved”.
There was a Sandra Bullock movie, way back, called The Net and it had one of the better denouements I’ve seen, where she’s planting flowers for her landlady because the whole point of the that film was RL matters.
hth,
Black Panther has a pretty good denouement – where they establish the outreach centre in Killmonger’s old neighbourhood, and some of the kids playing basketball get to witness the Wakandan tech/ship. There’s also a part at the UN which I think appears mid-credits, but would count as this story’s denouement (unlike other Marvel credits injections which are usually teasers for future films).
The bookstore scene at the end of The Lives of Others is denouement.
I feel like “everything after the Goal has been achieved” works as a good definition from a Dramatica standpoint.
I think this is my point when I said…
Assuming the C is the face off with the OS Goal and the MC happening around the same time. Then the Outcome is the result–or the Judgment working itself out, as you said…
VERY APROPOS!
Wow. Glad to hear this. I’m taking a look at the book Neverwhere now!
Cool! Try to get the “author’s preferred text” if you can. I’m not sure how different it is from the previous edition, but it was the preferred one that I read.