Story Structure Series: The Fichtean Curve

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Welcome to the Fichtean Curve

The Story Structure series explores various types of story structures storytellers employ. Previously, we explored Freytag’s Pyramid and examples of its use in storytelling, classical and modern. In today’s post, we will explore a structure commonly used in various genres, including satire, speculative fiction, crime, and thrillers/suspense: the Fichtean Curve.

In his book The Art of Fiction, John Gardner first penned the Fichtean Curve, named after the German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte. Fichte originated the dialectic method Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis. Gardner adopted ideas from Fichte in the creation of his story structure.

The Fichtean Curve emphasizes three elements in a story’s structure: a rising action that contains a series of mini-crises followed by periods of rest leading to an ultimate crisis, or climax, followed by a resolution to the central conflict and all story threads.

Gardner intended this structure to be simpler than other story structure models with numerous elements and sub-elements. The “curve refers to the shape these elements make when drawn on paper.” (Snellgrove, n.d.)

The Fichtean Curve is the basis of most commercial fiction and is also found in literary and classical fiction.

Elements of the Fichtean Curve

The Fichtean curve has three main elements: the rising action, the Climax, and the Falling Action. An Inciting Incident usually triggers the Rising action at or close to the story's beginning. Mini-crises with subsequent rest periods follow during the rising action until the most significant moment of conflict occurs at the Climax. Following this, the central conflict is resolved, and all loose storylines are tied in the falling action to the point of final resolution.

We will look closer at these three main elements.

1.        Rising Action:

As mentioned, the Rising Action is usually triggered by an Inciting Incident or Event that sparks the story into motion. It introduces the initial conflict that throws the protagonist out of their ordinary world and in pursuit of their goal, whatever it may be. The Fichtean Curve has a scant exposition or introduction at the story's start. The author usually trickles in this as the protagonist meets their crises and overcomes them, then has a period of rest to regroup or reflect on what the crisis taught them. This is done on purpose to “ramp up the tension almost immediately.” (Hamilton, 2023) This is called hitting the ground running, and the beauty is that it creates tension and conflict from the very start, drawing the reader or viewer into the story and holding their attention. This tension can be built even before the Inciting Incident by creating a protagonist “who wants something very much, but… can not get it.” (Hamilton, 2023)

The Rising Action makes up approximately two-thirds of the story through these episodic crises and rests that cumulatively build tension and complicate the protagonist’s life. Crises “dictate the direction of the narrative and deepen the conflict.” (Koehne-Drube, 2024)

Each lead, dead end, or close-call crisis can be found for the protagonist in a mystery or thriller. In a romance, crises may involve bad dates or problems that might face a couple newly in love.

It is important to remember that each crisis is a plot point involving the protagonist or other characters facing conflict that teaches them something or changes them positively or negatively. It’s about character development as much as it is about plot advancement.

2.        Climax:

This is the ultimate crisis in the story, “the point of highest tension and the moment of greatest conflict.” (Koehne-Drube, 2024) Here is the big reveal, with either triumph or catastrophe. The protagonist's outcome is finally in the balance, and how they decide to proceed determines the difference between success or failure, survival or destruction. The stakes at this point should be at their highest, with the protagonist(s) facing literal or figurative death (or even damnation).

It's important to note that previous crises should have foreshadowed the climax in one form or another. This adds emotional weight to the conflict and increases reader/viewer satisfaction at the central conflict’s culmination.

3.        Falling Action:

After the climax, where the central conflict has been resolved, we have another final rest period where things resolve for the protagonists and other characters of the story. Things wind down toward the conclusion or final moment of the tale. As Snellgrove puts it, “Now that the (protagonist) faced their final challenge and either triumphed or lost, it’s important to show what happens next.” (Snellgrove, n.d.) The reader/viewer experiences a reprieve from the conflict and tension that permeated the story previously and can take a breath. Every question raised by the crises in the rising action will now have a resolution. The falling action ends with a final feeling or thought for the reader/viewer to chew on following the story’s end.

An Example of The Fichtean Curve In Storytelling

One example of using the Fichtean Curve in literature is the movie “The Wizard of Oz,” based on the book of the same name by L. Frank Baum. In “The Wizard of Oz,” there is minimal exposition to Dorothy’s story before she and her dog Toto are swept up by the tornado that takes them to the Land of Oz and introduces them to the witches who control regions of the land. The story starts rapidly with a bang—or a twister—leaving Dorothy with her first crisis: to figure out where she is and how she can get back home to Kansas.

Along the way, Dorothy runs into crisis after crisis as she follows the Yellow Brick Road that will eventually lead her to the wise and powerful Wizard of Oz—the man with the answers to her problem. Along the way, she meets allies—the scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, each with their own goals. As they press toward the Emerald City, where the Wizard resides, they are faced with repeated attempts by the Wicked Witch of The West to stop them. Each time, they manage (sometimes with help from the Good Witch Glenda) to overcome the crisis and learn lessons as they do. Dorothy develops from a child to a young woman who comes into her own. The Scarecrow finds solutions to problems even though he supposedly doesn’t yet have a brain. The Tin Man leans to love Dorothy and the others as they travel together despite being devoid of a heart. The Cowardly Lion fights off foes and defends his new friends despite a lack of courage. Each crisis and subsequent rest allows the viewer to fall in love with Dorothy and her crew and root for them.

Once they finally reach Oz, they face their greatest challenge from the Wizard—to capture the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West and bring it back to Oz. Despite the seemingly impossible odds, the team defeats old West and captures her broom. In the end, they receive their rewards from Oz—who turns out to be less than extraordinary—by learning that the things each sought already existed within themselves and only had to be nurtured and brought out by facing their greatest fears. The Scarecrow always had a brain. The Tin Man always had a heart—the capacity to love. And the Cowardly Lion needed a reason—his friends—to show the courage he already possessed. Dorothy? She always could go home, thanks to the ruby slippers on her feet. All she needed was the maturity to believe it.

In conclusion, Dorothy leaves her new friends behind and returns to Kansas with Toto. She is no longer the immature, frightened child she once was but a confident young woman. The simple Fichtean Curve can be seen as the scaffolding for this classic fantasy story.

Reasons To Use the Fichtean Curve

There are many reasons to use the Fichtean Curve when creating a story, especially within speculative fiction, thrillers, and romance. It is a simple construct for keeping readers on the edge of their seats with its quick pacing and constant mini-crises, producing a regular shot of conflict and tension throughout. The following is a list of reasons the Fichtean Curve is a classic storytelling structure:

1.        The Fichtean Curve helps maintain a reader’s or viewer’s interest. Its constant crises and rests build and sustain tension, raising the stakes for the protagonist.

2.        It helps maintain a story’s pacing. A series of mini-crises avoids long stretches of inactivity or drag common in the middle of a narrative.

3.        It keeps readers/viewers emotionally engaged. By experiencing frequent crises with the protagonist(s), the reader/viewer becomes attached to and invested in these characters.

4.        It helps develop the plot. With its simple and clean framework, every crisis (plot point) has a purpose in the grander story and theme.

5.        It helps with character development. The episodic crises and setbacks challenge the characters to adapt and grow (or devolve) throughout the narrative, repeatedly exposing their motives and personality traits.

6.        It increases conflict.  Conflict, the driving force of any narrative, is always at the forefront of the Fichtean Curve. It’s the difference between a story being dynamic, static—exciting, or boring.

Conclusion

In its simplicity, the Fichtean Curve allows for impactful, exciting storytelling that avoids the middle drag found in many narratives while allowing for the development of dynamic character arcs. It keeps the tension and pacing at a peak throughout and allows for a satisfying resolution and conclusion at the end. The Fichtean Curve is but one of several helpful storytelling structures available. The next post in this series will explore a more complicated structure called The Hero’s Journey.

Works Cited

Hamilton, J. (2023, November 17). The Fichtean Curve: Examples of This Basic Plot Structure. Retrieved from kindlepreneur.com: https://kindlepreneur.com/fichtean-curve

Koehne-Drube, P. (2024, March 1). The Fichtean Curve: How to Escalate Tension and Conflict. Retrieved from novlr.org: https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/the-fichtean-curve-how-to-escalate-tension-and-conflict

Snellgrove, C. (n.d.). What is the Fichtean Curve? Definition, with Examples from Literature. Retrieved from Scribophile.com: https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-fichtean-curve

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Pauline J. Grabia

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