Narrative Levels

What It Does

Identifies embedded narratives by detecting two signals:

1. Past-perfect tense shifts — sequences of "had + past participle" indicating a flashback
2. Frame markers — phrases like "He remembered," "She dreamt," "The story went" that open an embedded narrative

Flags embedded narratives that are opened but never closed (no return to the present-tense frame).

Why It Matters

Embedded narratives add depth — a flashback reveals backstory, a dream foreshadows events. But an unclosed flashback leaves the reader stranded in the past. Clear transitions between narrative levels help the reader track where and when they are in the story.

What Gets Flagged

Unclosed Embedded Narratives

Severity: Information

Example (flagged):

Line 12: "She remembered the summer of 1985." ← frame opens

Lines 13–45: Flashback content in past perfect, then past tense

⚠️ No return to present-tense frame detected

Why: The reader entered a flashback but was never brought back to the present scene.

Suggested revision:

Close the flashback with a return to the present: "The memory faded. She was back in the kitchen, the coffee growing cold."

Frame Markers Detected

The analyzer recognizes these opening patterns:

Pattern	Example
Memory frames	"He remembered", "She recalled"
Dream frames	"She dreamt", "In the dream"
Story frames	"The story went", "He told them about"
Letter/diary frames	"The letter read", "Dear diary"

Configuration

No configuration options.

Technical Details

• Source: prose-craft
• Scope: Scene-level (tracks tense shifts across paragraphs)
• Method: Past-perfect sequences via regex ("had + verb"); frame-marker detection; scene-break analysis for closure