What is Fiction?
 Definition of Fiction:
– Fiction is a made up story that may seem real,
but has never happened in real life.
What is the definition of
a short story?
 Has a fully developed conflict with a theme.
 Resembles a novel, but is considerably
shorter.
 Should be able to read in one sitting as
opposed to a novel which takes several
days.
 Novella- a story that is longer than a short
story but shorter than a novel.
5 Elements of Fiction
1.Plot
2.Setting
3.Character
4.Point of View
5.Theme
Plot
 Definition of Plot:
– Plot is the sequence of events that lead to a climax
which is eventually resolved.
Every Plot has:
Conflict
Climax
Resolution
Freytag’s Pyramid
Freytag’s Pyramid uses a five-part system to
describe a story’s plot.
This graphic organizer matches the way stories
are constructed: The climax is the high point, and
it’s surrounded by rising and falling action.
Plot: Plot is the literary element that
describes the structure of a story.
Climax: The turning point. The
most intense moment (either
mentally or in action.
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.
Exposition: The start of the
story. The way things are
before the action starts.
Resolution: The conclusion,
the tying together of all of
the threads.
Types of Conflict
 External:
– Character vs. Character: a man arguing with his son
– Character vs. Society: a character in conflict with a
group.
 Ex: A character who has a conflict with the rules of the NCAA
– Character vs. Nature: a human trying to overcome
something happening in nature:
 Ex: a man trying to run from tornado
 Internal:
Man vs. himself: man trying to overcome a personal
struggle
Ex: a child trying to decide to call his mother to let her know
where he will be today because if not he knows he will be
grounded.
Moving from Plot to Setting
 When we talk about the setting of a story,
what exactly do we mean?
 What is included in describing the setting of
a story?
Setting
 Definition:
– Setting is the time and place in which the events (plot)
take place in the story.
Setting also includes:
The physical and cultural environment
Determine if it is a “real world” setting
How the setting is presented (all at once or over time)
Setting could signal character moods or events to come
“The Raven”
 Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered
weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of
forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there
came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my
chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my
chamber door Only this, and nothing more.'
“The Raven”…cont.
 Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak
December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its
ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had
sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow
for the lost Lenore For the rare and radiant maiden whom the
angels named Lenore Nameless here for evermore.
“Up the Slide” pg. 174
 Based on the
pictures throughout
the story, what can
we already say about
the setting?
DO NOW: 4/7/09
 Besides time and
place, what else does
the setting include?
 Open your book to
page 174.
 Review the story “Up
the Slide.”
 We have a quiz today
dealing with the
setting and events of
the story.
Character Notes
 Why is developing a character important
for the author to do when writing a piece
of fiction?
 Possible Answers:
 To bring the character to life
 To create realistic and believeable
characters
Ways an author might create a
character:
Describe this character.
Creating a character:




Physical description
Characters actions
Let the character speak (dialogue)
Revealing the character’s thoughts (through
narration or interaction of dialogue with
another character)
 Narrator’s description of the character’s
physical and emotional state.
Characterization
 Characters are the people, animals, or
imaginary creatures in a story.
The main character is the one who the story is
mostly about.
These character can be a five headed alien or
a 14 year old girl who is looking to find a
place in the world.
You can create whomever you wish to be your
character!
Motivation
 A character’s motivation is what makes
him/her think, feel, or act in a particular way.
 When you know the reasons for a
character’s actions, thoughts, or feelings,
you understand his/her motivation.
 A character’s motivation influences his/her
actions. The actions, in turn, reveal the
character’s traits.
A character can be motivated by…
Direct Characterization
 The narrator tells us EXACTLY what kind of
person the character is.
 Example: “He was a man that worked with
his head.”
Indirect Characterization
 The reader watches the actions and listens
to the conversations of the characters and
hears their thoughts.
 This also includes the reactions of other
characters to that particular character.
 The author never directly tells us what kind
of person the character is, we have to infer
what the author is telling the reader.
Flat vs. Round
 Flat characters:
– One dimensional, not
interesting, not
original.
Round Characters:
Multiple qualities,
interesting, unique.
Static vs. Dynamic
 Static characters:
– Does not change at all throughout the story.
– There is no lesson learned for this character
Dynamic Characters:
Changes and develops throughout the story
Learns a lesson and grows from it
Protagonist vs Antagonist
 Protagonist
– The main character in the story
– The character that the reader is most
concerned about
 Antagonist
– The character that is in conflict to the
protagonist (main character)
– This character may learn a lesson
(dynamic) or may remain a flat
character.
Open to page 358.
 Using four of the new vocabulary words we
just learned, describe the lady in the picture
on page 358.
 Only base your opinion on the picture of the
lady, do not read the story.
 Use complete sentences and support your
opinion with a reason.
Theme
 Summarize the story of “The Boy Who Cried
Wolf.”
What is the theme of “The Boy Who Cried
Wolf?”
 In other words, what was the reader
supposed to learn from the boy’s
experience?
Definition of Theme
 Theme is the moral or the lesson learned in
the story.
 It is not often stated in the story by the
author.
 The theme is determined after the you read
the story.
 Most likely, it is the lesson that the author
wants the reader to learn from the
character’s mistakes.
More practice with Theme
 What is the moral or theme?
– An ANT, going to a river to drink, fell in and was
carried along in the stream. A Dove pitied her
condition, and threw into the river a small
bough, by means of which the Ant gained the
shore. The Ant afterward, seeing a man with a
fowling-piece aiming at the Dove, stung him in
the foot sharply, and made him miss his aim
and so saved the Dove’s life.
Point of View:
 Summarize the story of the Three Little Pigs.
 Who is telling this story?
“The True Story of
the Three Little Pigs”
 Read “The True Story of the Three Little
Pigs” by A. Wolf.
– Discussion Questions:
 Who is telling this story?
 How has the story changed from the story of
the “Three Little Pigs”?
 What is the author’s purpose in writing a
story from the point of view of the wolf?
First Person P.O.V:
– The story is told by a CHARACTER in the story.
– This character is then considered the
NARRATOR of the story.
– The reader only knows what this narrator
THINKS and FEELS, not what any other
character thinks and feels.
– The only way the narrator would know thoughts
and feelings of other characters is if they were
using dialogue or actions to express their
thoughts.
First Person Pronouns:
 These pronouns provide a clue as to what
the point of view of the story.
 Pronouns:
– I, Me, My
– Our
– We
Third Person Notes
 This is the most “COMMON” narrator used
in stories.
 The story is told by a NARRATOR who is
NOT a character in the story
 This person is usually an OUTSIDER to the
story.
Third Person Pronouns:
 These pronouns are a clue to the point of
view used in a story.
 PRONOUNS:
– He
– She
– They
– Them
– Those
Second Person Point of View
 Second Person point of view does NOT
exist in stories (narrative literature).
 What kind of literature uses second person?
– How-To Manuals
– Directions
– Cookbooks or recipes
Point of View
 Omniscient– All-knowing narrator
– The narrator tells things that the character
does not directly think or observe.
Point of View
 Limited:
– Tells us what only ONE character sees, feels,
and thinks.
– Tells the story from the point of view of ONE
character.
– The narrator does not tell us what other
characters think or feel.
Review:
 What is the most common voice of
literature?
 What point of view could be more biased?
 What point of view does not exist in short
stories?
Raymond’s Run
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What Point of View is the story told from?
Who are the characters?
What is the setting?
What is the plot?
Define the theme of the story.
How would this story be different if it was
told in another point of view?