Elements of Narrative
Structure
Books, I found, had the power to make time
stand still, retreat or fly into the future.
~ Jim Bishop ~
6.5a – Identify the elements of narrative structure including setting,
character, plot, conflict, and theme
Name: ____________________________
Setting 6.4a
o Setting: Setting is the time and place of a story. Knowing
when and where a story takes place will help you understand it
better.
o Setting can be specific (Sterling, Virginia; 1996). It can also
be vague (sometime in the future; outer space).
o Setting allows the author to create the mood of the story.
o Mood is how the author makes you feel while reading the book.
 I laughed throughout the entire book! The
mood would be ______________.
 There were so many parts in the book that
made me jump; I couldn’t read it at night
anymore! The mood would be ____________.
o Match the Story Idea to the Possible Setting:
Story Idea
A creepy ghost story
A story about the American Revolution
__Setting
~ A busy pet grooming shop
~ July 4, 1776
A story about aliens
~ An abandoned house in the woods
at night
A funny story about a dog
~ A spaceship going around Jupiter
The life story of a 100 year old woman
~ The time period from 1889 to 1989
Characters 6.5a
o Characters: A character in a fiction passage can be a person, an
animal, or a thing with human-like qualities. In stories like the
“Three Little Pigs”, the characters are pigs who act like humans.
o Protagonist: the most important
character in the story, poem, or play
OR
o Antagonist: A character or force that is
against the main character.
o Static Character: has one or two traits that never change
throughout the story
o Dynamic Character: changes personalities in the story
because of things that happen
Try this out…
~ Imagine a book or movie about a character you like. Think about the
character and answer the questions below.
Character: ________________Book/Movie___________________
Is your character a protagonist or antagonist? _________________
Is your character a main or minor character? __________________
Is your character dynamic or static? ________________________
Why do you think so? ___________________________________
Plot and Conflict 6.5a
 Plot is the sequence of events that happens in a story.
The plot usually happens as a result from actions taken
by a character in the story.
o The character causes things to happen, and those
happenings have an effect on other characters and
the world around them.
 Conflict – Conflict is any obstacle that keeps the
character from getting to their goal.
o Conflicts can be internal or external
 Internal Conflict: Character against self
 External Conflict: Character against another
individual or nature
Internal Conflict
An honest girl lies to protect her
friend.
A climber goes up the mountain even
though he is scared of heights.
A woman must decide which house to
buy.
External Conflict
A boxer fights against someone for
the championship.
A farmer survives a flood that
destroys his farm.
A police officer chases after a bank
robber.
Basic plot
structure is
shown here:
Initiating
Event
Theme 6.5a
o Theme is the main idea or point of the story. It is also the
overall message.
o What is the difference between plot and theme?
o Plot answers the question:
 What happened in the story?
o Theme answers the question(s):
 What is the story about? Or what does this
story teach me?
o The theme is usually not obvious and the author leaves it to
the reader to figure out
o One theme of a story may be “growing up”
o Another theme of a story may be “loneliness”
o Stories can have more than one theme.
o Main Theme:
 When a story has more than one theme, there is
usually one message that is the most important.
This is called the main theme.
Let’s try it out. We’re going to read The Giving Tree and list
themes from the story.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Circle the main theme from the ones listed above.
Story Map
Title:
Main
Character:
Other
Characters:
Conflict:
Setting:
(Time & Place)
Rising action:
Event 1:
Event 2:
Event 3:
Climax:
Resolution:
Narrative Elements Vocabulary
6.5a
 Plot – the sequence of events in a literary work.
 Exposition – the part of the work that introduces the characters, setting, and
basic situation (part of the plot structure).
 Character – a person, animal, or creature who takes part in the action of a
literary work. Main characters are the most important in the story, poem or
play. Minor characters may take part in the actions, but are not the center of
attention.
 Antagonist – the character who opposes (goes against) the
main character.
 Protagonist – the main character of most important character in a story.
This character often changes in some important way as a result of the
story’s events.
 Setting – the time and place of the action. It could be specific (Sterling,
VA in the year 1872) or vague (present time in the south).
 Initiating event – introduces the central conflict (part of the plot
structure).
 Conflict – a struggle between opposing forces. Characters in
conflict for the basis of the story, novel, poem, or play. There are
two kinds of conflict: internal (character against self) and external
(character against another individual or nature). A story may
have both.
 Rising action – all of the events that lead up to the climax that build
suspense (part of the plot structure).
 Climax – the highest point of interest or suspense (part of the plot
structure).
 Falling action – actions that tie up loose ends and leads to the resolution (end)
of the central conflict (part of the plot structure).
 Resolution – the final events that end a work of fiction (part of the plot
structure).
 Theme- the main idea or point of the story. It is also the overall message.
Stories can have more than one theme.
 Mood: is how the author makes you feel while reading the book.