Characters

Characters and their prototypical roles follow the simplified hero, villain, and victim (HVV) triad from the Narrative Policy Framework. By assigning entities to particular roles, we resolve issue ambivalence by conveying moral judgment. The framework distinguishes between main characters and other entities, using the single most central character fulfilling each role.

To differentiate narratives, we also identify the focus on either hero, villain, or victim, resulting in "heroic", "blaming", and "victimizing" narrative frames respectively.

Conflict and Resolution

This component encapsulates the "plot" element and links to framing criteria that point to causes and resolutions. We conceptualize this as a four-way distinction where characters can:

• Fuel Conflict: Perform actions that cause or exacerbate the issue
• Fuel Resolution: Perform actions that help resolve the issue
• Prevent Conflict: Oppose actions that cause or exacerbate the issue
• Prevent Resolution: Oppose actions that help resolve the issue

Cultural Stories

Cultural stories map narrative combinations to four larger interpretation schemata, defining the degree of external control and group belonging: