Evidence for compact structuring in the corona of active stars

The " current wisdom " regarding the structuring of the X-ray emitting corona in active stars (i.e. a corona dominated by extended coronal structures) is briefly reviewed, followed by a review of a new approach to flare analysis and the analysis of a significant number of newly observed and previously published large flares, all leading to a much more compactly structured corona. Recent observations showing the polar location of the flaring plasma are then discussed, showing how the current evidence points toward a (flaring) corona composed of rather low-lying polar structures, also in agreement with some recent radio VLBI observational results and with starspot Doppler images. The resulting picture is significantly different from the solar case.