“阐述”是一个文学术语，指的是一个故事的一部分，它为戏剧的发展奠定了基础：它介绍了故事开始时的主题、背景、人物和情节。要理解什么是阐释，请看作者如何为故事和故事中的人物设置场景。通读前几段或几页，作者在这些段落或几页中描述了动作发生前的场景和情绪。

在“灰姑娘”的故事中，故事的情节是这样的：

"Once upon a time, in a land far away, a young girl was born to very loving parents. The happy parents named the child Ella. Sadly, Ella's mother died when the child was very young. Over the years, Ella's father became convinced that the young and beautiful Ella needed a mother figure in her life. One day, Ella's father introduced a new woman into her life, and Ella's father explained that this strange woman was to become her stepmother. To Ella, the woman seemed cold and uncaring."

这段话为接下来的行动奠定了基础，暗指埃拉的幸福生活可能会变得更糟。你既能感受到埃拉的不安感，又能感受到父亲想供养女儿的愿望，但你仍在想会发生什么。强烈的阐述会唤起读者的情感。

展览风格

上面的例子展示了一种为故事提供背景信息的方法，但作者也可以在不直接说明情况的情况下提供信息，就像理解主角的思想一样。“汉塞尔和格雷特”中的这段话展示了汉塞尔自己的思想和行动：

"Young Hansel shook the basket he clutched in his right hand. It was almost empty. He wasn't sure what he would do when the bread crumbs ran out, but he was certain that he did not want to alarm his little sister, Gretel. He glanced down at her innocent face and wondered how their wicked mother could be so cruel. How could she kick them out of their home? How long could they possibly survive in this dark forest?"

在上面的例子中，我们理解了故事的背景，因为主角正在思考他们的处境。我们从多次发生的事件中感到绝望，包括母亲把孩子们踢出去，以及汉瑟的面包屑用完了。我们也有责任感；汉瑟想保护他的妹妹免受未知的恐惧，并保护她免受黑暗森林中任何东西的伤害。

我们还可以从两个角色之间的对话中获得背景信息，例如经典童话《小红帽》中的这段对话：

"'You will need to wear the best red cloak I gave you,' the mother said to her daughter. 'And be very careful as you want to grandmother's house. Don't veer off the forest path, and don't talk to any strangers. And be sure to look out for the big bad wolf!' "'Is grandmother very sick?' the young girl asked. "'She will be much better after she sees your beautiful face and eats the treats in your basket, my dear.'" "'I am not afraid, Mother,' the young girl answered. 'I have walked the path many times. The wolf does not frighten me.'"

我们可以通过观看母亲和孩子之间的对话，了解到很多关于故事中人物的信息。我们还可以预测，事情即将发生，而这一事件极有可能涉及到那只大灰狼。

虽然论述通常出现在书的开头，但也有例外。例如，在一些书中，你可能会发现，通过人物经历的倒叙来进行阐述。虽然故事的背景可能是主人公当前稳定的生活，但他们的倒叙提供了重要的信息，为可能在故事剩余部分出现的内部斗争奠定了基础。