Why do structuralist critics argue that the 'plot' (or 'fabula') of a story is easily transferable from literature to cinema, while the 'discourse' (or 'sjezut') is non-transferable?

Correct answer: Plot is the event sequence, medium-independent; discourse is the medium-specific telling

In structuralist narrative theory, the 'fabula' (plot/story) is the basic chronological sequence of actions and events—the raw narrative material that can be told via a comic book, a novel, a ballet, or a film. The 'syuzhet' (discourse), however, is how those events are structured and presented through a specific medium's unique tools (like syntax and adjectives in prose, or lens choices and editing cuts in film), making direct discourse translation impossible.