IT’S STORY TIME
FICTION — NOVELS and
SHORT STORIES
Elements of Fiction
THE SHORT STORY
The SHORT STORY is a work of prose
fiction in narrative form.
The number of pages is usually limited and
can reach a maximum of 70 or 80 but it
can also consist of one or two pages or
even of a few paragraphs.
It shares with the novel such common
elements as plot, characters, point of
view, theme, but……….IT HAS
DISTINCT FEATURES
OF ITS OWN
• BREVITY
• COMPRESSION and CONCENTRATION
of form and content (one main episode,
few characters; one significant event of
everyday life)
• IMMEDIACY (it impresses the reader
with immediate and complete images)
• ECONOMY (the language is usually concise;
concrete words and details are used)
• HOMOGENEITY (despite its brevity, it is
a complete and unified whole with all its
parts related)
ELEMENTS OF
PROSE FICTION
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Author’s Purpose
Theme
Plot
Setting
Characters
Point of view
Narrator
Style
Mood/Atmosphere
AUTHOR’S
PURPOSE
An author’s reason for creating a particular work is
called the author’s purpose. Sometimes the author will
state his or her purpose directly. Other times you’ll
need to make inferences (reasonable guesses) about
the author’s purpose.
There are four basic reasons an author might
choose to write:
• to explain or inform
• to entertain ; to shock with an unexpected conclusion
• to persuade
to enlighten or reveal an important truth
THEME
• The THEME is the central idea,
message, concern or purpose which
lies behind the story and gives unity
to the events described. It’s the
main point.
• You will need to infer what the theme
is from the work’s title, key scenes,
characters, symbols and plot events.
PLOT
• PLOT:
Plot is the action of a story. It is the
series of related events that the author
describes from the beginning of the story
to the end. Most plots follow a
chronological order. In other words, they
proceed in the order in which the events
happen.
PLOT
Plot is the literary element that describes the structure of
a story. It shows arrangement of events and actions
within a story.
Plot Components
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 situation before the action starts
Resolution: the conclusion
SETTING
The place and time where and when - the story
takes place.
Understanding a story’s
setting (setting as time and as
cultural context) and its effects
can give you a context for the
events of the plot. It can also
give you clues about the mood,
or atmosphere of a story, or
insights to characters and
provides connections to the
other aspects of the story.
The Functions of a Setting
 To create a mood or
atmosphere
 To make action seem
more real
 To be the source of
conflict or struggle
 To symbolize an idea
 To show a reader a
different way of life
• CHARACTER
• CHARACTERIZATION
• CHARACTER TYPES
CHARACTER
A character is a person, an animal, or an
imaginary creature that takes part in the
action of a story.
A character can be “flat” (simple); “round”
(complex); static; developing
Sometimes the author will directly describe a
character’s appearance, personality, or
feelings.
DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
Other times the author will leave clues
and expect you to draw conclusions
about what the character is like.
INDIRECT CHARARACTERIZATION
CHARACTERIZATION:
An author can give information about
a character by describing several
aspects of the character:
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Physical appearance and personality
Speech, behaviour and actions
Background, thoughts and feelings
Interactions with other characters
CHARACTER TYPES
Most stories have both main and minor
characters.
The main character, or protagonist, is
the most important character. The action of
the plot revolves around him or her.
Often the antagonist, the person or
thing working against the protagonist, is also
a main character.
POINT OF VIEW
The point of view is the perspective
from which the events in a novel or short
story are presented.
• the story can be told in the first person
by one of the characters him/herself
• the novelist can tell the story as an
omniscient narrator, moving from
character to character
• he can tell the story in the third
person, but from the point of view of
one character only
NARRATOR
• Omniscient Point of View: the story is told in third person by a
narrator who has unlimited knowledge of events/characters.
S/He forces the reader to share his/her opinion and point of view.
• First-person Point of View: the story is told by one of the
characters. The author disappears into one of them. The
character uses pronouns such as I or we and usually participates in
much of the action. Of course, the point of view is limited.
• Third-person Limited Point of View: the story is told by a
narrator but from the point of view of a character in the story.
POV is limited to the character’s perceptions and shows no direct
knowledge of what other characters are thinking, feeling, or doing.
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The non-omniscient narrator is always a third person or persons;
may be the author who refers the events without commenting on
them or various characters of the story, who look at facts
from different points of view, offering the readers
different interpretations.
STYLE
• Style is the way writers express their
ideas. It’s how they say something, not
what they say. Style involves these three
elements:
• Word choice
• Rhythm: the pattern of flow and movement
created by the choice of words and the
structure and arrangement of sentences.
Rhythm is directly affected by the length
and composition of sentences, the use of
pauses within sentences, the use of
repetition
• Literary devices, such as figurative
language, symbols, dialogue, and
imagery
MOOD and
ATMOSPHERE
• The mood is the feeling created in the
reader while reading. Writer uses
many devices to create mood, including
images, dialogue, setting, and plot.
It’s the atmosphere that’s created.
Writers can choose words, phrases and
images to create a whole range of
moods - from anger and sadness to
excitement, fear and suspense.
SUSPENSE
• The growing interest and excitement readers
experience while they are waiting for the
CLIMAX (the point of greatest emotional
intensity)
It’s a feeling of anxious uncertainty about the
outcome of events.
HOW to CREATE A SUSPENSE ATMOSPHERE?
• by arousing readers’ curiosity and affecting
strongly their expectations through a series
of incidents rising to an exciting climax
Plot: Conflict
Conflict is the dramatic
struggle between two forces
in a story. Without conflict,
there is no plot.
Plot and Structure
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The plot is not merely the action itself, but the way the author
arranges the action toward a specific end (structure).
Important elements of Plot:
*Conflict- A clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills
Types of Conflict: Person vs. Person, Person vs. Environment,
Person vs. Self.
*Protagonist- The central character in a conflict
*Antagonist- Any force arranged against the protagonist- whether
persons, things, conventions of society, or the protagonists own
personality traits.
*Suspense- The quality in a story that makes readers ask “what’s
going to happen next?”. In more literary forms of fiction the
suspense involves more “why” than “what”. Usually produced
through two devices; either mystery (an unusual set of
circumstances for which the reader craves an
explanation) or dilemma (a position in which a character must
choose between two courses of action, both undesirable.)
Plot and Structure 2
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Artistic unity- Essential for a good plot. There must be nothing in
the story that is irrelevant, that does not contribute to the meaning.
Each event should grow out of the preceding one and lead logically to
the next. The work should have a quality of natural inevitability, given
the specific set of characters and the initial situation.
*Deus Ex Machina- Latin for “God from a machine”. The saving of
the protagonist from an impossible situation. A form of plot
manipulation.
Endings*Happy Ending- Everything ends well for our protagonist. More
often used in commercial fiction.
*Unhappy Ending- Most instances in life do not have pleasant ends, so
literary fiction that tries to emulate life is more apt to have an
unhappy conclusion. These endings force the reader to contemplate
the complexities of life.
*Indeterminate Ending- No definitive ending is reached. This leaves
the reader to ponder the many issues raised through the
story without being handed a neat solution.
Symbolism
• A symbol is something concrete—such as
a person, place, or object—that signifies
something more than just itself,
something abstract, such as a concept or
an idea.
Some symbols you will probably be
familiar with already.
• A heart symbolizes love and affection
• A dove symbolizes peace and freedom