Flipping through the hefty 600-page “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck and “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë, readers will encounter extensive expositions: a set-up intricately introducing characters, setting and the buds of conflict.
In “East of Eden,” the opening chapters detail the Salinas Valley history and intertwined lives of the Trask and Hamilton families, slowly unfolding themes of good and evil. In “Jane Eyre,” readers immerse themselves in over 100 pages of ten-year-old Jane in Gateshead Hall and Lowood School, witnessing her psychological development, long before arriving at Thornfield Hall as a governess and meeting Mr. Rochester.
Since the turn of the century and the domination of digital media, the publishing industry has shifted toward accommodating shorter attention spans and has faced pressure to oblige to a culture of instant gratification and immediacy. Research examining bestselling novels across 125 years found that average opening chapter lengths have decreased by approximately 43%, falling from 4,484 words in the 1950s to 2,569 words in the 2020s. Not only are modern novels significantly shorter, condensed and simplified, but the art of the exposition has been lost. Fiction novels today instantly spring into the main conflict before establishing a context, fleshing out characters or providing a strong foundation for understanding. Modern creative writing craft flourishes the motto “show don’t tell” and dissuades writers from using narration or “information dumping” to develop stories. In fact, the repopularized genre of microfiction — stories under 500 words — has even found its way into USD creative writing curricula, potentially correlating with the trend of limited or omitted exposition.
Expositions are indispensable to storytelling. They immerse readers, facilitate connection and meaning rather than consumption, preserve literary depth and combat the literary crisis. The loss of exposition is the loss of the reader’s opportunity to experience a story.
Modern storytelling seems to prioritize rapid plot progression over the gradual building of a narrative, which diminishes the impact and entirety of a story. Rather than rushing toward a climax, expositions invite readers to experience the narrative as it unfolds. In “Jane Eyre,” the Red Room scene establishes the foundations of Jane’s struggles of independence, inequality and belonging, and sets the macabre tone of the novel. It allows the reader to fully understand Jane’s motivations and shapes their lens of her actions. Readers cannot fully appreciate a character’s multidimensionality without understanding their circumstances, relationships and motivations. It is simply not enough to reveal characters’ pasts or conflicts through scaffolded dialogue or flashbacks.
The significance of a conflict is also dependent on the context surrounding it. Settings are characters in their own regard, shaping the story environment and atmosphere and acting as metaphors, symbols and physical remnants of the world’s history. Without a clearly established setting, readers lose their ability of interpretation and are not as deeply meshed into the literary world. With imagery and embedded historical details, expositions allow authors the space to transform settings into narrative devices. Expositions encourage readers to be active participants in storytelling, forcing them to interpret symbolism, connect themes and understand the deeper implications of narratives.
Although some may believe that it is counterintuitive to engage readers by drawing out the beginnings of novels, a lack of exposition can also introduce confusion. When characters are instantly propelled into plotlines or worlds are unexplained, readers are left disoriented and disconnected, having to scavenge for clues to interpret the story. This can make reading unnecessarily unclear and unenjoyable. Certainly not every novel requires the extensive introductions of classics, withholding information can be beneficial, and context established gradually can be valuable to different forms of storytelling, but the overarching need for an exposition of some sort is essential.
In an era of impatience, literature should remain a golden exception to the culture of immediate consumption. Preserving expositions preserves the literary craftsmanship that allows stories to transcend simple entertainment. If we wish to combat dwindling attention spans and encourage reading, perhaps we should allow for the intricacies of stories to exist beyond the lines. The beauty of a novel truly lies in its mundane descriptions, lengthy introductions and character development.
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