frame story
Americannoun
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a secondary story or stories embedded in the main story.
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a narrative providing the framework for connecting a series of otherwise unrelated stories.
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a literary device that uses such a narrative structure.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The metafictional frame story of the novel is very different from the movie; it’s about a screenwriter, his failing marriage and his distant son.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 2, 2022
There is no such frame story in the stage musical, where the audience to Usnavi’s tale is, well, the audience, and there’s no epilogue involving Vanessa and Usnavi’s daughter.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2021
A frame story has the tween protagonist recording a vlog about his experiences in fighting the alien invasion, then posting it online with the hashtag #RESIST.
From The Verge ● Jan. 16, 2018
The play begins with an unnecessary frame story.
From New York Times ● Nov. 7, 2017
The tradition of using a frame story dates back to at least 200 B.C., when the ancient Indian fables of the Panchatantra were collected.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
