Elements of Literature
Power Point Series
“It’s in the sauce.”
Point of View: Where the
Words are coming from.
Function:
 Provides the reader with the _____ of
_________ for the whole story.
 Establishes the ______ angle of the story.
 Determines the ______ of the story.
 1st ______: “I” tells the story.
 We are inside a single person’s ____ and _____, so
we see what they see, and the action is _______ to
the perspective of one individual.
 The narrator then becomes one of the
____________ of the story.
POV continued
 3rd Person _______: A narrator tells the story
but only reveals the ____ life of one character.
 The protagonist is referred to as “he” or “she.”
 (i.e. Harry Potter and Twilight)
 3rd Person ________: A narrator tells the story
from an all knowing point of view, revealing the
inner life of ___ character they choose.
 The protagonist is referred to as he or she.
 Multiple ___ characters…epic size story.
 (i.e. The DaVinci Code…The Chronicles of Narnia.)
Questions for analysis of
Point of View
 Why did the author choose this
________ point of view?
 What does the ______ of point of view
reveal about the author’s overall
_______?
Plot: The way the author
_______ the events in a story.
Function:
 Creates the cause/effect ____ that allows the
story to ____ together.
 Controls the ____ of the story.
 Gives the right hints at the right times to
______ the reader in the story.
 Introduces, develops, and ________ the key
conflicts that make the story worth telling.
Beginning, Middle and
End…Duh
But it is not that simple. Plot _______ the most important
aspects of life. Here are __ ways to look at it.
 Exposition…_____ Action…Climax…Resolution.
 Traditional view. Stories come full circle.
 W…W…W…end. (Should I stay or should I go?)
 Confusion and ______ of emotion.
 3 Acts:
Act I: Define characters, ______, and goals.
Act II: Create _______ for characters and bring them to
the brink of _______.
Act III: Create the _______ moment where the character
rises or _____, and then wrap up the story.
Questions for analysis of
plot
 Why did the author choose to ______ the details the
way they did?
 Where are the key ________ points in the story?
 i.e. exposition to rising action…rising action to climax
 Is there anything significant about what the author
chooses to _____ ___?
 What does the author do to create _______?
 Jumps in time or place.
 Foreshadowing, back story, etc.
 Changes in point of view.
 Are there any recognizable ______ in the action?
 What events in the story ______ the theme?
Key Terms related to plot
 Foreshadowing: Use of an event or plot detail
to help the reader _____ at what is coming in
the story.
 Back Story: The part of a character’s
story/past that is ___ ____ directly in the story.
 “In Medias Res”: The technique of starting a
story in the _____ of an event/conflict,
_______ the reader to catch up.
 Flashback: A ____ in ____ back to an event
that occurred previously to the story’s plot.
Setting: The ____ and place
in which the events of a
story occur.
Function:
 Creates the mood and ____ of the overall
story.
 Establishes the cultural/social ____ of the
story.
 Transports reader into ____ world.
Reader experiences “_______ of
disbelief.”
SIFT your way through the
setting.
 Pay attention to places where the author has
_______ the setting in ______ detail.
 Pay attention to _____, shape, and _____ of
things in the setting.
 Pay attention to objects that have inherent
symbolic characteristics: bridges, animals or
flowers, ______, natural _____, sexual,
religious, or _____ symbols, etc.
Questions for analysis of
setting?
 What characterizes the author’s ____ as
he describes the setting? -or in other
words- What ____ is established?
 What ______ concepts can be best
associated with the time and place of the
story?
 What _____ conflicts are created by the
time and place of the story?
Key Terms related to
setting
 Hyperbole- use of ____ exaggeration to create
a ______ effect.
 Local Color- use of details that provide
_________ to a particular area or _____.
 Allegorical- A story where all aspects of the
setting take on ______ meanings.
 Setting allusion: When the description of a
setting _____ a setting from a famous story.
(i.e. Duloc = ______, an ideal setting = garden
of eden)
Characterization: The
methods an author uses to
reveal a character’s
personality
Function:
 Reveals the traits, _____, and character
______ that are relevant to the story.
 Creates _______ or ______ in the reader to
make the story more interesting.
 Generates the theme through the character’s
______ and reactions to events in the story.
 Gives meaning to ______ in the story.
Methods of
Characterization:
 Direct description: The author describes the
______ and sometimes ______ traits of the
character.
 Action: The character is revealed through their
_______ and responses to situations.
 Reaction of other characters: The character is
revealed by the way _____ see them.
 Dialogue: The character is revealed by the
way they ____.
 Internal monologue: The character is revealed
through description of their ____ thought life.
Questions for analysis of
Characterization?
 What does the character ____?
 How does the character _____ to conflict in the
story?
 What ____ has the author revealed?
 What kind of character are we dealing with?
 Round or ____, _______ or static?
 How does the character’s actions create the
theme of the story? (i.e. a story about
________ will have a character who struggles
to _____.)
Key Terms related to
characterization
 Protagonist or ______: The main character
playing the role of the “good guy” or the main
character ____ the role of the “bad guy.” Pro =
we are ____ for them. Anti = we are _____
against them.
 Flat or Round: Flat ______ reveal only ___
personality trait. Round characters reveal ___
dimensions (sometimes ______ traits).
 Static or _____: Static characters do not
change. Dynamic characters change and
_____.
Key terms related to
characterization, con’t:
 Foil: When two characters _____ so
strongly they create a thematic
connection.
 Minor character: Characters who are not
at the center of the story, but who ______
the plot by their relationship to the major
characters.
Allusion: References to
meaningful images ______ the
realm of the story.
Function:
 To add an extra _______ to the story.
 To make the meaning of the story more
______.
 To make the ______ reader feel smarter.
Types of allusions:




Biblical
Mythological
Literary
Popular Culture
Questions for analysis of
allusion?
 What does the allusion add to the story?
 How does the allusion ___ into the
______ of the story?
 Is the allusion ______ to be _____?
Irony: A contrast between
_______ and _______.
Function:
 To create ______.
 To intensify the _____ of any given
scene.
 To ______ the emotional tone.
Types of Irony:
 Situational: When the ____ of a situation
is the _____ of what one would expect.
 Verbal Irony: When one person says
something, but ____ something else
entirely.
 Dramatic Irony: When the ____ knows
something that the _______ do not.
Questions for analysis of
Irony?
 What ____ of irony is on ____ here?
 Is the author’s use of irony _______?
 What does the irony ___ to the ____ of
the piece?