In literature, a complication is the catalyst or event that 'kick-starts' a narrative plot, with plot being the sequence of events that make up the narrative or story.
The complication can usually be recognised as the event that kick-starts the action, or as something that challenges the stability constructed during the expository or ‘scene-setting’ beginning. Although the complication usually happens after the expository stage, many writers choose not to construct the narrative in this order. For example, genres such as the detective genre rearrange the order that the events are told in order to create suspense.
Many theorists such as Freytag, Strauss and Aristotle have proposed dividing plot into various stages, and although the names and numbers of these stages may vary, the principle remains the same.
For example, Gustav Freytag suggests that a story’s plot can be divided into 5 stages:
1. Exposition: This sets the scene and introduces the reader to the world and characters of the novel.
2. Rising action: This is the ‘complication’ stage, where something happens to disturb the equilibrium.
3. Climax: The main event or scene of conflict in the narrative. The rising action or complication leads up to this.
4. Falling Action: The aftermath of the conflict or narrative climax.
5. Resolution/denouement: Loose ends are tied up, and a new equilibrium is established. This frequently leaves the reader with an idea of what the characters will do in the future.
Aristotle’s theory that a drama must consist of a beginning, middle and end is perhaps a more simple concept. Here, the complication would appear somewhere between the beginning and middle of the narrative.
