A narrative is a story or an account of connected events, whether real or imagined. The word can also mean the overall way events are framed and explained, such as a political or personal narrative.
From Latin *narrativus* “fit to tell,” from *narrare* “to tell, relate,” possibly from *gnarus* “knowing.” It originally focused on the act of telling before shifting to the structure of what is told.
Narrative is more than plot; it’s the lens that decides what counts as important, what gets left out, and who is the hero. That’s why two people can live through the same event but tell very different narratives about it. Changing the narrative can literally change how a society remembers history.
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