Gustav Freytag... =)

Gustav Freytag (13th July 1816 - 30th April 1895) was a German dramatist and novelist. Freytag said that a drama, or similar texts, is divided into five different parts; exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and dénouement.

Exposition - This provides the background information needed to understand the story, such as the 'hero' character, the 'villain' character, the basic conflict and the setting. This ends in the incident which sets the rest of the story.

Rising Action - During this the basic conflict gets complicated by obstacles which stop the hero's attempt to reach his/her goal.

Climax - This brings a change to the hero's mission, either for better or for worse. Depending on the genre, different changes can happen.

Falling Action - This resolution, shows whether the hero or the villain win. It contains a moment of suspence which puts doubt in the mind as to who will win. The falling action is the follow up to the conclusion.

Dénouement - This is the conclusion of the story. All conflicts are resolved, creating a sense of relief. The hero generally wins the final conflict and all live happily ever after.

These stages together make up what is known as "Freytag's Pyramid".