Elements of Literature*qualities every story has*

Narrator – one who tells the story

• First Person Narrator – Narrator speaks in 1st person (I,me) and will be a part of the story

• Third Person Limited Narrator – Narrator speaks in 3rd person (he, she, they) and can only share things that can be observed (what character’s do and say)

• Omniscient Narrator – Narrator speaks in 3rd person but is “all-knowing,” meaning the narrator can share the characters thoughts and feelings (which is more than just what they do and say)

Characters – a person who has thoughts and actions in a story

• Protagonist – Main character of the story• Antagonist – Character who provides the most

problems for the protagonist– NOTE: they are NOT necessarily the “bad guy”– A protagonist could be a murderer, in which case, the

antagonist may be the good cop trying to catch him.

• Supporting / Minor characters – All other characters in a story add dimension by having and developing relationships to the main characters

Setting – the time and place in which a story is set

• Time – The approximate year and what time of day will usually be made clear

• Place – This is more than just a background– Location: Country, State, City, Address– Environment: Country, City, Desert, Artic, etc– Atmosphere: Cold, Hot, Raining, Humid, etc

Plot – the sequence of actions and events in a literary work

• 5 steps of plot:– Exposition – Provides background of story– Rising Action – Conflict builds between characters– Climax – Most intense moment which leads to change– Falling Action – Shows the effects of the climax– Resolution – Life seems to return to normal

• Flashback – Narrator presents events that happened before the story began

• Foreshadowing – When the author provides clues for the reader to predict what may occur later in the story

Theme – an idea or lesson that is repeatedly incorporated throughout a story

• Themes often have other elements that are repeated throughout the story in order to help get the point across.

• Symbol – an object that represents an idea• Motif – an object, phrase, or description that is

specifically repeated throughout a story– So all symbols would be an example of a motif– The phrase “Thanks be to God” would be a phrase

motif in the Bible– The fact that it is usually raining in mystery stories

could be a descriptive motif

Figurative Language – the use of words in which they do NOT mean what they say

• “Figurative” is the opposite of “literal”

• Simile – using “like” or “as” to compare two things

• Metaphor – comparing two things by saying one is the other

• Hyperbole – an exaggeration to make a point• Idiom – an expression that no longer (literally)

makes sense– Idioms often come from OLD common phrases