ELEMENTS OF FICTION
PLOT
• The plot of a story is a sequence of related events
• The parts of the PLOT include the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling
Action, and Resolution
EXPOSITION
• Sets the scene for the conflict:
• Sets the scene
• Establishes the mood/atmosphere
• Introduces the characters
• Provides important background information
RISING ACTION
• The introduction of the central conflict where the struggle increases during the
Rising Action
• All the events leading up to the Climax make the Rising Action
CONFLICT
• a struggle between two opposing forces
TYPES OF CONFLICT
•Character versus self (internal)
•Character versus character (external)
•Character versus nature (external)
•Character versus society (external)
•Character versus the supernatural or unknown (external)
COMPLICATION
• Information that is introduced or an event that takes place that keeps the Plot
from moving too smoothly toward its Resolution
CLIMAX
• The turning point in the story
• The highest point in the story where the conflict comes to a head
FALLING ACTION
• All the events occurring after the Climax make up the FALLING ACTION
• The “Unraveling”
RESOLUTION
• The RESOLUTION shows how the situation turns out and ties up loose ends
PROTAGONIST
• The central character of a story or play
• This character will be engaged in a struggle or conflict with another character or
group of characters
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
ANTAGONIST
• The character or group of characters in conflict with the main character
(Protagonist) in the play or story
SUSPENSE
• the quality that makes you keep reading to find out what happens
FORESHADOWING
• hints or clues about what is to come that helps to create suspense
SETTING
• the place and time of a story’s action
• can help to create the mood and atmosphere
• the cultural background against which the action takes place
• the customs, ideas, values and beliefs of the society in which the story occurs
MOOD(ATMOSPHERE)
• Mood is the feeling that the story creates in the reader
• The mood is often suggested by descriptive details
POINT OF VIEW
• the perspective from which the author writes the story
• first-person narration
• limited third-person narration
• omniscient narration
FIRST-PERSON NARRATION
• the story is told by one of the characters in it, with the character referring to
himself or herself as “I.” This character is known as the narrator and is often
the main character in the story.
• use of the first-person narrator makes the story seem immediate.
• limited due to their ability to only reveal what they know or observe.
LIMITED THIRD-PERSON NARRATION
• the reader sees events through the eyes of one character and knows only what
that character knows
• this character is often a minor character who acts as an observer to the action
that is taking place
OMNISCIENT NARRATION
• the narrator is a voice outside the story
• refers to all characters as he, she, or they
• with omniscient narration this voice is all-seeing and all-knowing
• the author can tell you things that the characters in the story do not know
• the author can tell you what the characters think and feel
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
• the writer tells you directly about the character
• often used with indirect characterization by the author
INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
• the writer lets you learn indirectly what the characters are like through what the
characters say and do (the dialogue and action).
• you can also learn about them through their thoughts or by what other
characters say about them.
STATIC CHARACTER
• is one who remains the same over the course of a story
DYNAMIC CHARACTER
• is one who changes in some important way because of an experience in the
story
• the changes may relate to personality, attitudes, outlook or beliefs
THEME
• is the general idea or insight into life that is presented in the story
• this idea is developed through specific events and characters in the story
• it is an idea that applies generally to situations in human life
MOTIVATION
• a character’s reason or reasons for saying or doing something
• what motivates a character to act may be a feeling or a goal. A character is likely
to have many motives, both emotional and rational, for a particular action
• motivation stems from the character’s personality
• may be stated directly by the author or discovered indirectly in the course of
the story as the character is revealed
SYMBOL
• An object, person, idea, or action that represents something other than itself.
• Symbols may be used in literature to make a point, create a mood, or reinforce
a theme.
IRONY
• Irony is a contrast between an expected outcome and the actual outcome or
between appearance and reality.
COMPARISON
• When you compare items, you are showing how they are alike
CONTRAST
• When you contrast items, you are showing how they are different
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
CAUSE & EFFECT
• Cause is what makes something happen
• Effect is the result of that happening
IMAGERY
• Use of words to create mental pictures, or images, that communicate experience
• An image may appeal to any of the five senses, though in literature visual
images are the most common
SIMILE
• A figure of speech in which like or as is used to make a comparison between
two basically unlike subjects
METAPHOR
• A figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something
else
• A metaphor states a comparison directly