What is a story?
As the following statements are read aloud, stamp your feet
for the statements that you think do
•
My shoes are tied
•
Once, there were 3 raccoons and
a skunk on my porch
•
The beach is beautiful
•
My name is Cori
•
My cat escaped through the
window this summer
not
suggest a story.
PLOT: The series of events that
create the basic situation
Somebody
Wanted
But
So
What is PLOT?
Plot is the literary element that describes the
structure of a story. The plot is all of the related
events in the story that make-up the basic
situation from beginning to end.
Plot Components
Climax: the turning point, the
most intense moment—either
mentally or in action: when
you discover at last how the
conflict ends
Rising Action: the series of
attempts the character makes
to try to solve the problem
Falling Action: all of the
action which follows the
climax
Exposition: the start of the
story, the situation before the
action starts: meet the
characters and establish the
setting
Resolution: the conclusion,
the tying together of all of
the threads
Types of Linear Plots
Plots can be told in
Chronological order
flashback
In media res (in the middle of things)
when the story starts in the middle of the
action without exposition
Setting
• Where and when a story takes place.
• Sometimes, we must guess the location or
time period of a story from contextual
clues, because the author does not tell us.
– anachronism: a detail of a story that
does not fit the setting
• A computer in a Shakespearean tragedy
would be out of place.
Mood
• Overall feeling of a story. (Ex.
Happy, sad, depressing, scary)
Character:
A person or animal that takes part in the
action. This includes the main character, called the protagonist.
Types of Characters:
Protagonist: Main character
Antagonist: the opposing character or force to the protagonist
Static characters (flat): Characters who do not change within the
context of the story. Characters we don’t get to know very well.
minor characters
.
Dynamic characters (round): Characters who change, grow, or
develop within the context of the story. Characters we get to know
well. We know their fears, fantasies, history, etc.
Characterization
Authors reveal a character’s personality and motivation by what they THINK,
FEEL, SAY, and DO
1) Appearance: How does a character look and dress—what does this reveal about
the character?
2) Personality: Is the character emotional or rational—shy or outgoing—skillful or
clumsy— happy or depressed—caring or cold—honest or dishonest?
3) Background: Where and how did the character grow up—what is the social status
of the character—how have they been educated—hobbies or skills—what do they do
for a living?
4) Motivation: What does the character want? What are the character’s wishes,
desires, dreams,and needs?
5) Relationships: How is the character related to the other characters and how do
they interact with each other?
6) Change: Does the character change in the course of the narrative? Does he or
she learn or grow? In other words, is the character static (unchanging) or dynamic
(changing)?
Conflict
Conflict is the dramatic struggle
between two forces in a story.
Without conflict, there is no
plot.
Types of Conflict
External Conflict
character vs character
character vs. nature
character vs. society
character vs. supernatural
character vs. technology
Internal Conflict
character vs. self
Theme
The message or moral the author is trying to convey about
society or just a truth of life. Usually suggested by
characters’ thoughts or what the main character learns.
“Bugs”
The lightning bug has wings of gold,
The goldbug wings of flame;
The bedbug has no wings at all,
But it gets there just the same.
Point of View:
The perspective from which the story is told
First Person = When a story is told from the perspective of one of the characters in the story.
Uses the pronoun “I.”
Third Person
When a story is told from the perspective of someone outside the story looking in.
Third person limited: perspective is limited to what one character does, observes, or
thinks. (He, she, it)
Third person omniscient: the story is told from the perspective of someone who knows and
sees all (he, she, it)
Flashback
An interruption of story action to tell about
something that happened earlier.
Foreshadowing
Hints of clues in a story about what is to
come.
Genre:
a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition
characterized by a particular style, form, or content.
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There are 5 major forms genres of literature:
Plays
Non-fiction (autobiography, biography)
Fiction (fantasy, historical fiction, magic realism, mystery, science fiction,
realistic fiction, Western)
Poetry
Folk tale or classic