Frame story

A frame story is a narrative device in which the framing story permits other stories, from one to a series or various configurations of them, to be told.

Classic examples include:

• The Panchatantra
• 1001 Nights
• The Canterbury Tales
• The Decameron
• The Heptameron

Modern examples include:

• Ash: A Secret History (2000), by Mary Gentle
• My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk
• The Orphan's Tales by Catherynne Valente (which nests tales within tales)

See also:

• Flashbacks.