THEME

Theme: The fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. Can sometimes be a lesson For example: themes in Divergent by Veronica Roth include

• Identity, Fear, Society & Class, Family, Friendship, Guilt & Blame, Power, Competition, Choices, Secrets.

You could almost think of a theme as the tag for the book on a website.

PLOT

Definition : The main events of a story which are presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.

Plot shows the arrangement of events and actions within a story.

Plot shows the cause and effect relationship of events and actions within a story

HOW IS PLOT ARRANGED?

There are three linear arrangements for plot: • Chronological – start to finish (timeline)

• Flashback – Starts in the present and “flashes back” to

reveal something about the past

• In media res – Latin for “in the middle of things.” • Plot starts right in the middle of the action without any

exposition or rising action.

PARTS OF THE PLOT MODEL

1. Exposition

2. Rising action

3. Climax

4. Falling Action

5. Resolution

The German dramatist Gustav Freytag analyzed plot structure and divided into FIVE main elements

THE PLOT MODEL

The author E.M. Forster famously said:

EXPOSITION

The EXPOSITION is the beginning of the story.

In the exposition: • Characters are introduced.. • The setting is established • If necessary, background information is

given.

RISING ACTION

The rising action builds tension. It shows how the conflict unfolds and becomes more complex.

In the rising action:

The conflict faced by the protagonist is made clear.

This conflict often escalates Dramatic tension and suspense are built.

CLIMAX The most tense moment and the height of the action or drama.

• It can be a “turning point” in the plot

• It can be a pivotal moment of decision (external or internal) for the protagonist

FALLING ACTION & RESOLUTION

Falling action – eases the tension after the climax and reveals how the main character begins to resolve the conflict.

Resolution – The conclusion of the story. It ties up loose ends, but sometimes offers an unexpected twist before the story ends.

CONFLICT The struggle between two opposing forces. Usually a protagonist & an antagonist

• Protagonist: main character (Batman) Moves the plot forward.

• Antagonist creates the challenge the protagonist must face: (Joker)

• NOT NECESSARILY A BAD GUY

The antagonist doesn’t have to be human.

Ex: Lara Croft v. Nature

TYPES OF CONFLICT Internal

Internal conflict happens when a character experiences two opposite emotions or desires; usually virtue or vice, or good and evil inside him/her.

Ex: Katniss having to choose between Peeta and Gabe

TYPES OF CONFLICT

External:

Which a character finds him/her self in a struggle with outside forces that hamper his/her progress.

Ex: Katniss having to fight other teens for her life.

EXTERNAL CONFLICT CONT’D

Man vs. Society • In this type of external conflict, one character has a

conflict with a group of characters, an institution, or a set of beliefs held by society.

• Example: A girl tries out for the cheerleading squad, but they make fun of her.

• Example: A boy tries to get a company to stop polluting a local pond.

• Example: A husband breaks speed limit laws as he drives his pregnant wife to the hospital.

EXTERNAL CONFLICT CONT’D

Man vs. Nature • In this type of external conflict, a character has a

conflict with some aspect of nature like fire, water, animals, storms, etc…

• Example: A fisherman attempts to guide his boat to shore in the middle of a deadly storm.

• Example: A man slowly freezes to death because he is unable to light a fire.

• Example: A young boy, armed only with a hatchet, survives in the woods for many months after a plane crash.

EXTERNAL CONFLICT CONT’D

Man vs. The Unknown • In this type of external conflict, a character faces

anything that is previously unknown to him or her. This can include supernatural events, mysterious events, or new environments.

• Example: A villager must face Dracula! • Example: Children keep disappearing from a

town and no one knows why. • Example: A young woman moves to New York

and doesn’t know anyone there.

SO LET’S TALK ABOUT CHARACTERS

TYPES OF CHARACTERS

There are many ways readers can identify the characters that populate their stories.

• Protagonist vs. Antagonist • Flat Character vs. Round Character • Static Character vs. Dynamic Character • Stock Character

Let’s talk about these in more detail…

PROTAGONIST VS. ANTAGONIST

The protagonist of a story is its main character. Most stories are told from the protagonist’s perspective.

The antagonist of a story is the character who works against the protagonist. The antagonist is not necessarily a bad guy, however!

PROTAGONIST VS. ANTAGONIST CONT’D

Let’s decide who are the protagonists and antagonists in the following stories:

• Little Red Riding Hood • Cinderella • Jack and the Beanstalk • Goldilocks and the Three Bears

FLAT CHARACTER VS. ROUND CHARACTER

Flat characters are characters who are not very developed in the story. They have a tendency to fade into the background.

Round characters are very developed. They have multiple character traits and the reader feels as if he or she knows the character pretty well.

FLAT CHARACTER VS. ROUND CHARACTER

Let’s decide who are the flat characters and the round characters in the following stories:

• Little Red Riding Hood • Cinderella • Jack and the Beanstalk • Goldilocks and the Three Bears

STATIC CHARACTER VS. DYNAMIC CHARACTER

Static characters stay the same throughout the story (think of how static on the radio always sounds the same).

Dynamic characters change and develop throughout the story.

STATIC CHARACTER VS. DYNAMIC CHARACTER

Let’s decide who are the static characters and the dynamic characters in the following stories:

• Little Red Riding Hood • Cinderella • Jack and the Beanstalk • Goldilocks and the Three Bears

STOCK CHARACTERS

Stock characters are characters that the author just “pulls off a shelf” and plugs into a ready made hole. (Think of it like having an item in stock at the store). They are very stereotypical. This means that instead of taking time to develop a character in detail, the author just inserts a “jock” or “bully” or “prep” or “crybaby,” assuming that readers will get what he or she means.

STOCK CHARACTERS What kind of stock characters did J.K. Rowling use in the Harry Potter series?

• Crabbe and Goyle • Fleur Delacour • Peter Pettigrew • Oliver Wood Now that we know what types of characters there

are, let’s see how authors reveal traits about the characters…

The big, dumb bullies The pretty, out-of-reach girl The weakling, whiny bad guy The team captain

WHAT IS CHARACTERIZATION?

Characterization is the way in which an author tells us about the characters he has created.

There are two types of characterization: • Direct Characterization • Indirect Characterization

POINT OF VIEW (P.O.V)

The vantage point from which a narrative is told.

3 types • 1st Person (I saw) • 2nd Person (Just so

you know what I saw. I’ll tell you.)

• 3rd person (She saw) • Omniscient • Limited

NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT SETTING

WHAT IS SETTING?

Setting is the time, location, and circumstances in which a story takes place

• (time, place, and situation)

Setting impacts three important things in a story: • The mood or tone of the story • The characters’ actions within the story • The plot of the story

“Every story would be another story, and unrecognizable if it took up its characters and plot and happened somewhere

else…Fiction depends for its life on place. Place is the crossroads of circumstance, the proving ground of ‘what

happened?’ ‘who’s here?’ ‘who’s coming?’”

-Eudora Welty

SETTING AND MOOD OR TONE

Setting is an important tool used to establish the mood or tone of the story.

• “It was a dark and stormy night” • “The daffodils seemed to dance in the springtime sunshine as

a fragrant breeze swept through the dewy meadow”

Great setting is created by using descriptive language and sensory details.

Examples?

SETTING AND CHARACTERS

Setting influences characters • what they are able to do

• A young woman could not get a college degree if the setting were Alabama in 1776.

• where they can go • A caveman could not hop in a rocket and go to the moon.

• when they can go there • German citizens could not cross between East and West

Germany if the setting was before 1989.

SETTING AND THE PLOT

Setting drives the plot. Some plot elements could only happen in certain locations, times or circumstances.

• Ms. Faria’s classroom vs. a desert island

Examples?

LITERARY DEVICES

FORESHADOWING Literary device in which the writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story

Can be changes to the setting • Rain in Disney movies

Builds anticipation

Red-Herring – misleading clue that distracts readers by giving them wrong hints about future events

TONE

The attitude of the author toward the reader, audienece, or subject matter of a literary work.

Can be serious, playful, mocking, and so forth.

SYMBOLISM The relatively sustained use of symbols to reresent or suggest other things or ideas. This term may refer to an author’s explict use of a particular symbol in a literary work. Symbol: something that stands for or suggests something larger and more complex—often an idea or a range of interrelated ideas, attitudes, and practices.