Story Element
Notes
Plot
 The process of the resolution of
conflict.
 Requires a conflict.
 Character in action.
Conflict
 The main problem of the
story
 The driving force to a plot is
conflict, started by the
inciting incident.
Types of External and
Internal Conflict
 Character vs. character
 Character vs. society
 Character vs. fate, destiny, or
God
 Character vs. nature
 Character vs. self
Plot Chart
Crisis:
Turning point when the
reader knows how the
conflict will be resolved
Climax:
Rising Action/
Complications
those things that get in
the way of solving the
conflict
Exposition:
sets up the story,
telling the characters,
the setting, and the
conflict
Point of greatest
tension or emotional
intensity
Falling Action:
occurs because of
the crisis
Inciting
Incident:
Denouement/
Resolution:
The main problem is
introduced
the culmination or
end of the story
Character
 People or animals who take part
in the action of a literary work.
 Characters can be human or
anthropomorphic—giving
human qualities to non-human
entities.
Four Ways to Describe
Characters
 flat: defined by a single characteristic; does not seem realistic
 round: is a complex individual who
seems realistic and lifelike
 static: a character who does not
change by the end of the story
 dynamic: a character who changes
by the end of the story
Direct Characterization
 when the author TELLS the readers
directly about the character, guiding the
readers’ understanding
Indirect Characterization
When the author develops without
comment by SHOWING
 What they say (dialogue)
 What they do (actions)
 What they think (interior monologue)
 How other characters respond to
them
Other Terms Associated
with Characterization
 epiphany: a sudden and
illuminating discovery or
realization
 motivation: a reason that
explains a character’s thoughts,
feelings, actions, or behavior
Setting
 The time, place, and
environment that create the
world in which characters live.
 Global vs. immediate setting
Setting Revealed Through:
 Geographic location
 Cultural backdrop/social
context/time period
 Artificial environment
 Props
Geographic Location
 the natural backdrop, such as
the ocean, the desert, the
woods, etc., and geographic
areas, such as the American
South, London, etc.
Cultural Backdrop
 occupations, way of life, way of
talking and behaving, clothing,
gender roles, traditions,
attitudes, customs, and beliefs;
past, present, and future
Artificial Environment
 the man-made backdrop, such
as rooms, buildings, cities,
futuristic settings, etc.
Props
 anything used by characters
such as tools, clothing, furniture,
etc.
Irony
 A literary device that uses
contradictory statements or
situations to reveal a reality
different from what appears
to be true
Types of Irony
 Situational--When the expectation of the
situation is different from what actually
happens
 Verbal--When someone says something but
he / she means something else, often the
opposite, expecting the listener to
understand
 Sarcasm--an exaggerated irony usually
meant to wound or ridicule
 Dramatic--When the audience or readers
know something that the characters do not
Verbal Irony
 “I totally aced that test!” John
exclaimed when he turned in a
blank answer sheet.
Sarcasm
 After Erica missed her third shot
of the game, Jana rolled her
eyes at her teammate and
mumbled “Please keep on
shooting! You rock!”
Situational Irony
 I was walking by the fire station
and it was burning down!
 I saw a cop get pulled over for
speeding!
Dramatic Irony
 Romeo and Juliet’s final meeting
 Every scary movie!
Point of View
 The perspective from which
the author tells the story
(Who is telling the story?)
 The author writes the story,
but the narrator tells the
story. They are NOT the
same person.
1st Person POV - Participant
 First person pronouns are used to tell
the story. (I, me, my, we, us, our)
 The narrator could be the major
character in the story (the story is
told by and is mainly about the
narrator)
 The narrator as a minor character
(the narrator tells a story that
focuses on someone else, but the
narrator is still a character in the
story)
Forms of 1st Person POV
 innocent-eye narrator (child, developmentally
disabled)—narrator is naive creating an
ironic effect
 stream of consciousness (interior
monologue)—narrator tells the story in an
unbroken flood of thought and awareness,
attempting to capture exactly what is going
on in the mind of the character
 see different times in narrator’s life
3rd Person POV: Non participant
 Third person pronouns are used to tell the
story. (He, him, she, her, they, them.)
 Omniscient narrator – The narrator can enter
the minds of all the characters.
 Limited (Omniscient) – The narrator is
limited to the minds of a few or one
character.
 Objective Narrator – The narrator does not
enter a single mind, only tells what can be
seen and heard, like a camera.
Symbolism
 The use of any object, a
setting, an event, an animal or
even a person that has a
meaning in itself while standing
for something larger than itself,
usually abstract, such as a
quality, attitude, belief, or
value.
Types of Symbols
 Universal--a symbol that is
common to all mankind
 Contextual--a symbol used in a
particular way by an individual
author.
Tone & Mood
 Tone – the speaker’s or author’s
attitude toward the subject,
which is revealed by the author’s
choice of diction, imagery,
figurative language, details, and
syntax.
 Mood – the feeling the writer
creates for the readers
Theme
 Theme is the central, underlying,
and controlling idea of a literary
work. It is an abstract concept
that may be represented by a
character, by actions, or by
images.
Theme Is . . .
 It is a generalization about
human conduct and should be
expressed as a complete
sentence, in a universal manner,
and without mentioning the story.
Theme Is Not . . .
 It is not the thematic idea or
subject stated in a single word.
 It is not the purpose such as
entertaining or instructing.
 It is not the conflict such as
character vs. character.
Understanding the Theme
 Unlike the moral of a fable or the
lesson of a parable, it is almost
always implicit or unspoken.
 To find the theme, decide what
the subject is and then ask what
does the author say about the
subject.