STORY ELEMENTS
English III and IV
*Capt. Paynter
*Adapted and added to from a PowerPoint developed by Mr. Mayer
Story Structure: tells how authors present
the story
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Exposition: background about
characters, setting, situation
Rising Action: conflict arises,
more information is learned
about characters and setting
Climax: when action reaches
the highest point
Falling Action: the story begins
wrapping up, characters are
dealing with whatever happened
in the climax
Resolution: This tells how the
story concludes
Climax
Rising
Action
Exposition
Falling
Action
Resolution
Without a conflict you have no story.
Types of conflict:
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Man vs. man—external struggle
between two or more individuals
Man vs. himself—internal struggle
concerning emotion and decision.
Man vs. nature—external struggle
between man and an element of
nature.
Man vs. machine–-external struggle
between man and non-nature.
How Writers Create Setting
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Details: Adding details makes the story
seem more believable.
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Sensory Imagery: Adding details that
appeal to the reader’s sight, smell,
taste, touch, and hearing creates a vivid
picture.
Point of View: This is the view from which
the story is told. Who’s head are you in?
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Ask yourself, “Who
is telling the story?”
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There are 3 types of
point of view
A- First Person
1. The narrator is recognizable by use of first person
pronoun, generally "I" but sometimes "we"
2. The narrator offers one perspective
3. The narrator asks reader to take into account the
character of the storyteller
4. The narrator may be a participant, a character involved
in the events, or a non-participant, an observercharacter not actually involved and therefore closely
resembles third person .
When reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that
what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth. We
should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.
B- Third Person
An outside force without any clear identity tells the
story [described elsewhere as like the eye of God]
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1- Omniscient: Narrator moves freely about in
time and space and into characters’ thoughts and
feelings . The narrator knows everything about
them, interprets and comments on their behavior,
and even comments on the significance or
meaning of the story.
There are 2 kinds…
B- Third Person
 2 - Limited omniscient: Like omniscient, the story
is told in third person, but the author tells it from
the viewpoint of only one character. The author
looks at events through the eyes, mind and
emotions of that one character. The writer moves
inside and outside the character and knows what
that character sees, hears, feels, and thinks.
However, nothing is revealed about the other
characters except for what his chosen character
knows or infers. This point of view is closer to the
conditions of real life and may serve to unify the
story since all details are seen through the eyes
and experience of one person.
3- Objective :
 narrator refrains from any editorial commentary .
The narrator can go anywhere, but can only
record what is seen and heard. The narrator tells
what happens without stating more than can be
inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The
narrator never discloses anything about what the
characters think or feel, remaining a detached
observer.
Does the main character tell his own story? (first
person narrator)
Does a minor character tell the main character’s
story? (first person observer)
When the narrator is not a character in the story ask:
Does the author tell what people think and explain
feelings and motives? (omniscient author)
Does the author simply tell the story without giving
the thoughts and feelings of the characters? (author
observer)
Theme:
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A theme is a universal idea.
A theme teaches a specific lesson or
moral.
Most stories have more than one
theme.
To find the theme ask:
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What is the story about?
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What is the central idea?
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What observation did the author make
about human nature?
Imagery: uses details to describe something and
evoke feelings
The icy hail
furiously pelted
my car, leaving
magnificent holes
in the smooth hood.
The sound pierced
my ears ruthlessly, as I
tried to find shelter.
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Imagery gives you
detailed pictures in
your mind.
Symbol: an image, character, or action that
stands for an idea beyond its literal meaning
Some aren’t...
Some are obvious...
Tone: is like the author’s “tone of voice”--it tells
you their attitude towards the characters, setting, etc.
“She dismally
muttered that she’d always
love him, even though
he was gone.
She’d never love again.”
What’s the tone here?
Irony: to intend a meaning opposite of what is
expected. There are a few kinds of irony.
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Dramatic Irony: The audience knows
something that the character does not.
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Situational Irony: when the opposite of what
was expected happens.
Dramatic
Irony: You
know what the
farmer does not.
Situational
Irony: You’d
expect
cheetahs to
run, not
speed-walk.
Which kind
of irony is
this?
Which kind
of irony is
this?
Hyperbole: an exaggerated statement used to
make a strong effect
“Whoa! That cookie looks like a million bucks!”
Realism:
The author attempts to portray
life in his/her novel realistically.
He/she must use details to reflect
the reality that we see around us.
Romanticism:
The author uses his imagination
to present the world to us. At
times his/her view may be
extremely idealistic; at other
times it may reflect extreme
horror.
Foreshadowing: A writing technique that
gives readers clues about what will happen later in
the story.
“As he pondered the morning, he
reassured himself that he locked the
door. Something kept telling him
otherwise, but he pushed it out of his
mind.”
What might this be foreshadowing?
FLASHBACK:
The author interrupts the story to
go back in time to add scenes or
information. This helps the
reader understand what is
happening in the present.
Protagonist: the main character
in the story (good guy)
Antagonist: the force against the
protagonist (bad guy)
Flat Character: stays the
same throughout the story.
Round Character: grows or
changes during the story.
Simile: comparing 2 things using like or as.
Her hair was as soft as cotton.
Metaphor: comparing 2 things without using
like or as.
A heavy blanket of snow fell all day long.
IN REVIEW- USE ALL TO GET THIS:
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Exposition: background about characters,
setting, situation
Rising Action: conflict arises, more
information is learned about characters and
setting
Climax: when action reaches the highest
point
Falling Action: the story begins wrapping up,
characters are dealing with whatever
happened in the climax
Resolution: This tells how the story
concludes
What is a short story?
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A short story is a relatively brief fictional
narrative or story written without using any
rhymes of rhythms. The short story has a
beginning, a middle, and an end and is
composed of the following elements:
Theme
Plot
Character
Setting
Point of View
Brief History:
The short story may be as old as man.
It started with the oral traditions and
later was written down. Many of their
beginnings were steeped in fact, but
later became embellished and became
“tall tales” or “fables”. These may have
not been “official”, but they have many
of the elements of a short story.
The accepted view among literary
historians is that the short story, as we
know it today, began in the early
nineteenth century; that is to say, it
appeared as a literary form slightly later
than the novel, which is usually held to
have emerged in the eighteenth
century.
TODAY
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READ “The Rocking Horse Winner”
Literature book (1006-1021).
ANSWER the questions on the
worksheet.
TURN-IN sheet and be prepared to
discuss the story and author tomorrow.