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STRUCTURALIST NARRATOLOGY/ˈfɑːbjʊlə / sjuːˈʒɛt/
Fabula vs. Syuzhet
Etymology: Russian Formalism (Viktor Shklovsky, Boris Tomashevsky, 1920s).
Theorist Origin: Russian Formalist Circle (1916–1928)
Formulaic Definition
Fabula is the raw chronological sequence of events (the 'story'); Syuzhet is the artistic arrangement and deformed temporal presentation of those events in the text (the 'plot').
Formal Mathematical / Diagrammatic Model:
Syuzhet = Permutation(Fabula) + StylisticDeformationCanonical Literature Specimen
“In Citizen Kane, the Fabula runs 1871–1941 (birth to death). The Syuzhet begins at death in 1941, jumps back via diaries to 1871, moves forward through interviews, and ends with the furnace in 1941.”
Related Lexicon Terms
AnachronyDefamiliarizationNarrative Clock