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Textual Analysis
Text Structure Analysis

Text Structure Analysis

When architects draw up building plans, they need to think about the building's structure or how they will organize its parts. Similarly, writers deliberately plan out the structure of their text so that it is organized in a logical, effective manner. Analyzing structure can help readers develop an in-depth understanding of a text.

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Which part of a narrative comes first?

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What are the two main types of narrative structure?

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True or False. Writers have to present the events of a narrative in chronological order.

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A writer writes an article on ways to make a cake without an oven. What type of informational text is this?

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Which of the following is a technique that writers use to fracture a narrative?

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What should readers do first when analyzing the structure of an informational text?

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True or False. Description and how-to informational texts are the same things.

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What is a climax in literature?

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True or False. All of the problems in a story are resolved in the resolution.

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It is the process of analyzing a story's structure.

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It is a story in which the author presents all the events in chronological order.

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Which part of a narrative comes first?

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What are the two main types of narrative structure?

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True or False. Writers have to present the events of a narrative in chronological order.

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A writer writes an article on ways to make a cake without an oven. What type of informational text is this?

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Which of the following is a technique that writers use to fracture a narrative?

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What should readers do first when analyzing the structure of an informational text?

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True or False. Description and how-to informational texts are the same things.

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True or False. All of the problems in a story are resolved in the resolution.

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It is the process of analyzing a story's structure.

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It is a story in which the author presents all the events in chronological order.

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5 Paragraph Essay
Argumentative Essay
Blog
Creative Writing
Cues and Conventions
Discourse
Email
English Grammar
English Language Study
Essay Plan
Essay Prompts
Essay Writing Skills
Global English
Graphology
History of English Language
International English
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Language Acquisition
Language Analysis
Language and Social Groups
Lexis and Semantics
Linguistic Terms
Listening and Speaking
Morphology
Multiple Choice Questions
Phonetics
Phonology
Pragmatics
Prosody
Research and Composition
Rhetoric
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Semiotics
Single Paragraph Essay
Sociolinguistics
Summary Text
Syntax
Synthesis Essay
TESOL (English)
Textual Analysis

Analyzing Arguments
Answering Techniques
Argument Understanding
Attitude Questions
Author's Approach
Character Analysis
Citation Analysis
Comparative Reading
Contrasting Views
Critical Assessment
Critical Reading Tips
Dual Passages
Eliminating Options
Evidence-based Reading
Evidence-based Reasoning
Function Questions
Inferential Reading
Information Synthesis
Note-taking Strategies
Paraphrasing Skills
Passage Mapping
Passage Types
Perspective Analysis
Point-of-view Questions
Prediction Strategies
Purpose Questions
Reading Efficiency
Reading Fluency
Reading Pace
Scanning Techniques
Sentence Completions
Sequential Ordering
Skimming Techniques
Test-taking Strategies
Text Structure Analysis
Tone Questions
Vocabulary Assessment

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Text Structure Analysis Meaning

Text structure analysis is the process of breaking down a text to examine how the author organized it. Readers can analyze the structure of all sorts of texts, such as narratives and informational texts, but the analytical techniques vary depending on the text type.

Text Structure Analysis, Close up image of a pen and a ruler on top of a paper with the blueprints of a building on it, StudySmarter Fig. 1 - Just like architects plan the structure of a building, authors plan the structure of a text.

Narrative Text Analysis Structure

Narrative text analysis is the process of analyzing a story's structure. When analyzing narratives, readers will typically find one of the following two types of narrative structures:

Linear Narratives

A linear narrative is a story in which the author presents all the events in chronological order. For example, Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre (1847) is a linear narrative because Bronte describes the events in the order they happened.

Structure of a Linear Narrative

Authors of linear narratives typically use the following structure:

Exposition

The exposition is the beginning of the text in which the author introduces important story elements, like the main characters and the setting.

In the exposition of Lois Lowry's novel The Giver (1993), Lowry introduces the twelve-year-old main character Jonas and the rules of his dystopian community.

Rising Action

The rising action is when events begin to happen that disrupt the normality of the exposition. In the rising action of The Giver, Jonas is assigned the job of Receiver of Memory and learns that his community lacks authentic emotions and feelings.

Climax

The climax is the turning point of the narrative when all the tension escalates. For instance, the climax of The Giver is when Jonas sees his father euthanizing a newborn baby without remorse. This upsetting moment motivates Jonas to make drastic changes.

Text Structure Analysis, An arrow pointing to the right, StudySmarter Fig. 2 - In a linear narrative, the events unfold in chronological order.

Falling Action

The falling action is the series of events following the climax, in which characters typically address the tension of the climax. The falling action in The Giver is when Jonas plans his escape from the community so he can return memories of morality and emotions to them.

Resolution

The resolution is the end of a narrative. The author wraps up the main conflict in the resolution, but some problems might not be solved. The Giver ends with Jonas escaping and feeling joy. It is unclear if he successfully returns the memories to the community, escapes, or dies. Regardless, this last moment closes the narrative.

When analyzing a linear narrative's structure, readers should identify each of these parts. This will help them identify how the writer builds and addresses tension.

Non-Linear Narratives

Non-linear narratives are stories in which the author does not present events in chronological order. Information and events are not clearly connected. The disjointed structure prompts readers to reflect on what the author is trying to convey. For instance, a reader might ask:

Why would the author present these events out of order?
What does the disjointed structure suggest about the narrator or main character?
How does the non-linear structure impact the reader's understanding of the story?

For example, Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse Five (1969) is a non-linear narrative. The main character Billy Pilgrim does not seem to know where he is or in what order events happened. The disjointed structure helps Vonnegut present Billy as someone who is losing his grip on reality. By depicting Billy's mental state like this, Vonnegut demonstrates the negative impacts of war on the mental health of those involved.

Non-linear narratives are also frequently called "fractured" narratives because the order of events is broken up. The following list features other famous fractured narratives:

All the Light We Cannot See (2014) by Anthony Doerr
As I Lay Dying (1930) by William Faulkner
Beloved (1987)by Toni Morrison
Catch-22 (1961) by Joseph Heller
Cloud Atlas (2004) by David Mitchell
Ulysses (1912) by James Joyce
Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Brontë

Text Structure Analysis Methods

The methods of analyzing a text's structure depend on whether the text is a narrative or not.

Narrative Structure Analysis Methods

To analyze narrative structure, readers need to break the structure down into parts to reflect on the way that the author constructed the story. A critical part of identifying a narrative's structure is reflecting on the order of events.

Linear Narrative Structure Analysis

To identify if a narrative is linear, Readers can ask themselves:

Is the order of events chronological?

If the answer is yes, the narrative is linear. If a narrative is linear, readers should identify the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. They should also reflect on how the presentation of events impacts the meaning of the story. For instance, readers can ask themselves the following questions:

What does the linear structure help readers learn?
What does the linear narrative reveal about the characters?
How does the linear narrative help the reader explore the continuity or change of a concept?

For example, Charlotte Brontë's linear presentation of events in Jane Eyre helps readers understand how the main character Jane develops as the events unfold. As she confronts one challenge after another, she becomes stronger and more independent.

Text Structure Analysis, Magnifying Glass Illustration, StudySmarter Fig. 3. Readers should closely examine the structure of a text and reflect on how it constructs meaning.

Non-Linear Narrative Structure Analysis

If the events are not presented chronologically, the narrative is non-linear. To analyze a non-linear narrative, readers should identify how the author fragments the events. For instance, writers of non-linear narratives often use the following techniques:

Daydreams
Dreams
Flashbacks
Multiple narrators for the same events
Parallel plot lines
Hallucinations
Jumps between past, present, and future

After identifying how a writer organizes a fractured narrative, readers should reflect on those elements and how they add meaning to the text. For instance, they could ask:

How does the author's use of flashbacks shape the readers' understanding of the main character?
Does the fractured story suggest anything about the characters' memories or the nature of memory?
Does the discontinuity in this narrative relate to any of the themes?

Analyzing non-linear narratives can be difficult, especially when connecting them to themes. However, writers do often use fractured narratives to reinforce a concept. If a writer is struggling to analyze the narrative's structure, they can think about the subjects and themes of a book first.

For example, a reader analyzing Slaughterhouse-Five might note that the book's major theme is war. Then they could ask themselves the third question above and consider how that theme connects to the fractured story. The non-linear nature of the narrative recalls the chaotic nature of war and the disjointed memories that come with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Another element to look for when analyzing narrative structure is the use of repetition. Authors often repeat information or literary devices like symbols throughout a text. Readers should take note of concepts or motifs that reappear several times in a story, as this can indicate relationships between events and ideas, especially in a non-linear narrative. For example, in Toni Morrison's novel Song of Solomon (1977), she frequently uses the concept of flight to connect various concepts, such as the protagonist's identity, ancestral history, and dreams.

Informative Text Structure Analysis Methods

When analyzing a text that is not a narrative, readers should follow similar steps but look out for different structural elements.

Identify the purpose. In an informational text, the author typically specifies their main objective in the introductory paragraph.
Note the development of ideas. Readers should ask themselves: how does the author transition between ideas?
Use the above questions to identify the text structure.The following are all types of informative text structures:

Type of Structure	Definition	Example	Keywords/Phrases	Analytical Questions
Cause and Effect	The writer demonstrates the causal relationship between concepts.	An article about how raising livestock leads to the production of methane gas.	Because of... This caused... Therefore... Consequently...	How does this structure help readers understand how one thing caused the other?
Comparison and Contrast	The writer will note the similarities and/or differences between concepts.	A report comparing and contrasting two novels by the same author.	Similarly, Compare to... On the other hand, In contrast	How does the structure help readers understand key similarities and differences between the concepts?
Description	The writer describes a concept.	A textbook chapter about photosynthesis.	Is For example, For instance, In fact,	How does the description of the information allow for an objective understanding?
How-To	The writer explains the process of doing something in sequential order.	An article on how to recycle.	First, Second, Next, Then, Finally,	How does the sequential structure help the reader learn?
Problem and Solution	The writer describes a problem and proposes a solution.	A writer describes how working at a computer can hurt eyesight and proposes wearing blue light glasses.	The problem is... Alternatively... A potential solution is... To solve this...	How does the structure of the text shape the reader's understanding of the problem or the strength of the solution?

Readers can look for keywords from the keyword column to identify the structure of an informational text.

Example of Analysis of a Text Structure

The following example demonstrates how a reader might analyze the structure of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby (1925).

Identify Structure Type

First, the reader can ask themselves:

Do the events occur in chronological order?

The Great Gatsby opens with the narrator Nick explaining that he spent a memorable summer in New York. Although he describes what happened that summer in the past tense, he explains the events in the order they happened. Therefore, the novel is linear.

Now the reader can break down the text to identify how Fitzgerald structured sub-parts of a linear narrative.

Text Structure Analysis, Gatsby story chart, StudySmarter. Fig. 4 - Readers can dissect sub-parts of a linear narrative like so.

Analyze Patterns

Next, the reader can reflect on how Fitzgerald connected parts of the narrative. For instance, they might note that Fitzgerald associates Gatsby with symbols of wealth, like the green light and his lavish parties. These symbols suggest that Gatsby's obsession with winning Daisy back mirrors the American cultural obsession with becoming wealthy.

Readers can then reflect on the way Fitzgerald embedded this symbol throughout the story's structure:

As the text unfolds, Gatsby becomes increasingly obsessed with Daisy.
His love blinds him to reality—that he cannot repeat the past.
Blinded by idealism, Gatsby takes the blame for Daisy when she hits Myrtle.
Because Gatsby took the blame, Myrtle's husband kills him. Therefore, Gatsby's idealism led to his demise.

Note how the last idea in each sentence is the first idea of the following one. This reader is reflecting on the order of events and recognizing how one concept leads to another.

The linear narrative presents Gatsby's tragic trajectory in a straightforward manner. It allows readers to see how his idealism led to his downfall. Thus, the structure of the text helped Fitzgerald comment on the dangers of American idealism.

In a letter to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, Fitzgerald wrote: "I want to write something new, something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned." This quote highlights the way authors deliberately plan the structure of their text and how structural patterns actively create meaning in literature.1

Text Structure Analysis - Key Takeaways

Analyzing text structure means identifying how a writer presents information and reflecting on the implications of that choice.
If a narrative's events are chronological, it is a linear narrative.
If a narrative's events are disjointed, it is a non-linear narrative.
The main types of informative text structures are cause and effect, comparison and contrast, description, how-to, and problem and solution.
To analyze text structure, writers should analyze the type of structure and how it contributes to understanding the text.

1. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Letter to Maxwell Perkins, 1923.

Flashcards in Text Structure Analysis

20 Start learning

Which part of a narrative comes first?

Exposition

What are the two main types of narrative structure?

Linear and non-linear

True or False. Writers have to present the events of a narrative in chronological order.

False. Writers often use a non-linear narrative to communicate a main idea.

A writer writes an article on ways to make a cake without an oven. What type of informational text is this?

How-to or process

Which of the following is a technique that writers use to fracture a narrative?

Flashbacks

What should readers do first when analyzing the structure of an informational text?

Identify the purpose

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Frequently Asked Questions about Text Structure Analysis

How do you analyze a literary structure?

To analyze a literary structure, readers should identify if the story is linear or non-linear. Then they should reflect on how that structure contributes to the meaning of the story.

What is analysis of the structure of a text?

Text structure analysis is the process of dissecting how an author organizes a text.

What is an example of analysis of text structure?

An example of analyzing a text’s structure is noting how the order of events in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925) demonstrates how American idealism can have negative consequences.

What are the main parts of a linear narrative?

Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution

How can readers analyze the structure of an informational text?

Readers can identify the purpose, note the development of ideas, and use this information to reflect on the type of structure the author is using.

Save Article Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

Which part of a narrative comes first?

A. Exposition B. Resolution C. Rising Action D. Climax

What are the two main types of narrative structure?

A. Linear and non-linear B. Linear and bi-linear C. Co-linear and non-linear D. Co-linear and bi-linear

True or False. Writers have to present the events of a narrative in chronological order.

A. False. Writers often use a non-linear narrative to communicate a main idea. B. True. This is the case with all works of non-fiction and true narrative fiction.

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Tag » What Does Text Structure Mean

Text Structure Analysis Meaning

Narrative Text Analysis Structure

Linear Narratives

Structure of a Linear Narrative

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

Non-Linear Narratives

Text Structure Analysis Methods

Narrative Structure Analysis Methods

Linear Narrative Structure Analysis

Non-Linear Narrative Structure Analysis

Informative Text Structure Analysis Methods

Example of Analysis of a Text Structure

Identify Structure Type

Analyze Patterns

Text Structure Analysis - Key Takeaways

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