Elements of Fiction

PlotTheme

Setting

Characterization

Narration

Plot•Simply put, plot is what happens in the story. Some call it the storyline.

•When doing an Elements of fiction hand, describe the plot in ten words or less without revealing the plot’s climax or resolution.

PLOT

Climax

End

Resolution

Beginning

Expositions

The series of events and actions that takes place in a story.

Plot Line

Exposition: The start of the story. The way things are before the action starts.

Rising Action: the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax.

Falling Action: all of the action which follows the Climax.

Resolution: The conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads.

Climax: The turning point. The most intense moment (either mentally or in action.

Theme• It’s the moral or main idea of the story. Themes do

not provide any plot developments, are not expressed in a single word, is not the moral or the conflict, and apply to many types of stories in almost any genre.

• Can Be expressed in a single sentence• Its central idea.

It usually contains some insight into the human condition.

Theme, cont….Identifying the Theme in Five Steps To identify the theme, be sure that you’ve first identified the story’s plot, the

way the story uses characterization, and the primary conflict in the story.

1. Summarize the plot by writing a one-sentence description for the exposition, the conflict, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.

2. Identify the subject of the work.

3. Identify the insight or truth that was learned about the subject. • How did the protagonist change? • What lesson did the protagonist learn from the resolution of the conflict?

4. State how the plot presents the primary insight or truth about the subject.

5. Write one or more generalized, declarative sentences that state what was learned and how it was learned.

Theme Litmus Test • Is the theme supported by evidence from the work itself? • Are all the author’s choices of plot, character, conflict, and tone controlled by

this theme?

Symbolism

A symbol represents an idea, quality, or concept larger than itself.

A Journey can symbolize life.

Black can represent evil or death.

Water may represent a new beginning.

A lion could be a symbol of courage.

Characterization•The main character in a story is called the

protagonist. She or he is always involved in the main conflict and its resolution.

•The person opposing the protagonist is called the antagonist.

•When doing an Elements of Fiction hand, use the methods of characterization (flat, round, dynamic, or static) to describe the protagonists and antagonists in the story.

Narration• First Person Point of View: The narrator tells the

story and is a character in the story. (Pronouns: I, me, us, we, our, etc.)

• Third Person Omniscient: The narrator is not a character in the story but can tell you the thoughts and actions of all characters at all times. (Pronouns: he, she, him, her, they, them, etc.)

• Third Person Limited: The narrator is not a character in the story but can tell you the thoughts and actions of a few key characters at all times. (Pronouns: he, she, him, her, they, them, etc.)

Setting• The setting provides us with the when

and where the story took place. In addition, the context or historical background in which the story is set provides us with additional plot information. The Geographical

Location

The Time Period

The Specific location like room

The socioeconomic status of the location

Methods of Characterization

Flat Characterization•A character who has one or two sides,

representing one or two traits—often a stereotype. Flat characters help move the plot along more quickly because the audience immediately understands what the character is about.

•Example: Like a geeky science professor

Round Characterization•A character who is complex and has

many sides or traits with unpredictable behavior and a fully developed personality. Antagonists are usually a round characterization.

• Example: Like The Green Goblin (Norman Osborn)

Dynamic Characterization

•A character who experiences an essential change in personality or attitude. Protagonists are almost always dynamic.

•Example: Stitch, from Lilo andStitch

Static Characterization•A character who does not change or develop beyond the way in which she or he is first presented.

•Example: Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird.

Types of Conflict

External Conflict• There are three

types of external conflict:

character vs. character;

character vs. society; and character vs.

nature.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCy5WQ9S4c0

Character vs. Character

• The protagonist in

the story experiences conflict with

others, especially the antagonist.

Character vs. Society• The

protagonist in the story experiences conflict

with society as a

whole.

Character vs. Nature

• The protagonist in the story experiences conflict with the elements

of nature. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybhVvjsEhE

Internal Conflict

•The protagonist in the story experiences conflict with

her or his conscience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5wt4tSJpjw&list=TL4uTufEupOc4

Other Fiction Elements

•Allusion: a reference to a person, place or literary, historical, artistic, mythological source or event.

“It was in St. Louis, Missouri, where they have that giant McDonald’s thing towering over the city…”(Bean Trees 15)

•Atmosphere: the prevailing emotional and mental climate of a piece of fiction.

•Dialogue: the reproduction of a conversation between two of the characters.

Other Elements Continued

•Foreshadowing: early clues about what will happen later in a piece of fiction.

•Irony: a difference between what is expected and reality.

•Style: a writer’s individual and distinct way of writing. The total of the qualities that distinguish one author’s writing from another’s.

•Structure: the way time moves through a novel.

•Chronological: starts at the beginning and moves through time.

•Flashback: starts in the present and then goes back to the past.

•Circular or Anticipatory: starts in the present, flashes back to the past, and returns to the present at the conclusion.

•Panel: same story told from different viewpoints. (Lou Ann and Taylor chapters in The Bean Trees.