Types of Frames
Central Frames
- Frames are always present, whether they are explicit or not
- Does the writer illuminate them?
- Illuminating frames can make us more vulnerable, but also more honest
- Frames help position us in particular ways
- Hidden frames obscure our ideology
- Non-stories also have frames, but they are just more obscured
Alternative Frames
- Force yourself to reframe
- Offer more than one frame
- Help us see what’s hidden
- Can create misreadings
- Co-opts resistant readings
Scholarly Frames
- Links to other conversations
- Orients the reader
- Makes stories bigger than they perhaps are
- Theories carry baggage
- Theories may close down interpretation
- Not generalizable, but universal in some ways or meaningful to many readers (emotional levels); Roger Shank Tell Me a Story
Ways to Put in Frames
- Interjections
- Character’s thoughts
- Footnotes
- Discussion at the end
- Another chapter
Writer Frames
- Why do I choose to tell this story?
- What do I hope it will show?
- Why is the story important?
- What is the story about?
- What is the story’s theme/message?
- What point is the story making?