Unit 1: Fiction
Plot
Fiction is like a spider’s
web, attached ever so lightly,
perhaps, but still attached to
life at all four corners.
—Virginia Woolf
<skip intro>
What is fiction?
• Fiction is a category of literature that includes
any work of prose that tells an invented or
imaginary story.
What are the two main
forms of fiction?
• The two main forms of fiction are the short
story and the novel.
What are your favorite
types of fiction?
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Realistic fiction
Science fiction
Fantasy
Horror
Historical fiction
Sports fiction
Mystery
Westerns
What are the purposes of
fiction?
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To entertain readers
To show readers new and different ideas
To provide readers with an escape from reality
To teach readers to be understanding and
sympathetic
• To help readers explore unknown worlds
What are the five elements
of fiction?
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Plot
Point of view
Characters
Setting
Theme
Plot
• Plot is a series of related events that drive a
story.
A story to me means a plot where there is
some surprise. Because that is how life is—
full of surprises.
—Isaac Bashevis Singer
What do you think makes a plot interesting and
memorable?
• A plot is the frame that gives a story
its structure. There are five elements
of plot:
Climax
on
Ris
ing
cti
gA
Ac
tio
n
llin
Fa
Exposition
Plot
m
Diagra
Resolution
• The exposition is the introduction to
the plot.
• In the exposition
– characters are introduced
– setting is revealed
– mood or tone is established
• In the rising action, the main
character tries to solve a problem and
runs into several obstacles along the
way, resulting in a conflict.
• Conflict is what drives the plot.
• There are four types of conflict:
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person versus person
person versus society
person versus nature
person versus self
• The climax, or turning point, is the
high point of interest and suspense in
the plot.
• The falling action consists of all the
events that follow the climax
• These events include the results of the
main character’s action or decision.
• The resolution, or conclusion, is the
point at which the central conflict is
ended, or resolved.
A story’s plot organization
is often framed by time.
• Chronological order unfolds events in the
order in which they occur.
• Flashback interrupts time sequence and
presents an event that occurred earlier or in the
past.
• Foreshadowing provides a hint or clue to
events that will occur in the future or later in
the story.
• A Time Line can help you understand
a story’s plot organization. This Time
Line is for “Lob’s Girl,” by Joan
Aiken.
Sandy meets
Lob on the
beach when
she is five
years old.
After he goes
home, Lob
keeps coming
back to see
Sandy.
Lob’s owner
gives him to
Sandy; Lob
and Sandy are
inseparable.
Sandy is hit
by a truck and
taken to the
hospital; Lob
is missing.
Mrs. Pearce
sees Lob
outside the
hospital and
brings him in.
Lob is
allowed to see
Sandy; she
finally wakes
up.
Bert and Jean
reveal that
Lob was hit
and killed by
the truck.
Bert, Jean,
and Mrs.
Pearce stare at
Lob’s wet
footprints.
To understand a story’s plot organization, make a
Time Line of events for a fairy tale or folk tale.
• Converting a Time Line into a Plot
Diagram can reveal which events fall
into each part of a story’s plot.
Sandy is hit
by a truck and
taken to the
hospital; Lob
is missing.
Exposition
Sandy meets
Lob on the
beach when
she is five
years old.
Climax
Plot
Diagram
Lob is
allowed to see
Sandy; she
finally wakes
up.
Bert and Jean
reveal that
Lob was hit
and killed by
the truck.
Resolution
Bert, Jean,
and Mrs.
Pearce stare at
Lob’s wet
footprints.
Convert the Time Line you created for a fairy
tale or folk tale into a Plot Diagram.
Climax
Plot
Diagram
Exposition
Resolution
SUMMARY: Plot
• A good plot must
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keep the action moving forward
reveal events in a logical, easy-to-follow order
involve the main character in some type of conflict
provide an element of surprise or suspense
create questions in the readers’ minds