Fiction Elements
Packet
20 LIT points for complete
work
Jessica will face some sort
of danger from which she
will be cunning enough to
escape.
Robin will go on a quest
based on instructions in the
book, complete three tasks,
and succeed in his dream of
making a mark in the world.
Detective Riley will
solve the crime and
probably drink a lot
of coffee.
Genre:Realistic fiction
-- the story is believable; it
could happen to anyone; the
main character often faces an
emotional or psychological
conflict
Genre:Fantasy
-- the story has one or more
features not seen in our world
-- magic, time travel, talking
animals
Genre:Historical fiction
-- the story is set in a
specific time in history;
sometimes an actual
historical figure
Genre:
Contemporary
fiction
-- the story takes place in
today’s world
Genre:Science fiction
-- a type of fantasy story, set in a time
or place in which technology has
reshaped society in significant ways;
unusual setting often helps to
highlight human dilemmas
Genre: Action adventure
--not much “psychological
stuff” for these characters; one
action-packed scene after
another!
Genre:Mystery
-- a crime is committed; in finding
the criminal, a detective or some
determined character, must unravel
the web of clues before pinning
down a suspect
Genre:Folktale
-- a traditional story handed down
from generation to generation by
word of mouth -- fairy tales,
fables, tall tales, myths, and
legends
Building Blocks of
Storytelling: plot,
character, setting!
Plot -the something that
happens in a story
Character
-- the someone to
whom the something
happens
Setting
-- where and when
a story takes place
4. Father is best
described as
enthusiastic (a). He
clearly likes slom very
much!
5. Aunt Louisa is best
described by words and
actions as disapproving
of all the fuss over
making slom.
Main characters -the story would not exist
without these characters; they
drive the events and change
because of the events
Dynamic
-- a character who gains new ideas,
learns a lesson, forms a different
opinion about someone or something
because of the events -- different in the
end
Static -a character who stays the same from the
beginning to the end no matter what
happens in the story --probably not
capable of learning, changing, or
growing from experiences
Supporting character
-- they
can cause the main character
to act or react in certain ways that
affect the plot of the story -- they
are usually static because they are
not the focus of the story
Character Clues -Is this a major or minor character?
What is the character like?
What does the character want most? Why?
What is the main problem the character faces?
What kinds of relationships does he or she have
with other characters in the story?
How doe the interactions of the character affect the
plot?
How does the character change during the story?
6. The fisherman exists only to
move the plot along. Slema, who is
the narrator, might also be a minor
character, but she is less likely to be
one than the fisherman, because she
is a member of the family.
Genre:True Stories --three
biography -- a story about a person’s life
autobiography -- a story about the author’s
own life
personal or true experience account -- a
story focusing on historical or cultural
events and told by someone who witnessed
the events
Setting -- not only the location,
five of them
time of day
time of year
point in history
weather
landscape
Mood -the way the setting makes you
feel; the general atmosphere
of the story, the overall feeling
the story creates in the reader
7. The main setting of
“Slom Season” is
springtime on a farm in
19th centurey Sweden.
The mood is lighthearted.
Conflict -the problems or struggles
among different forces
that move the action of the
story forward
1. Person vs. person
2. Person vs. society
3. Person vs. nature
4. Person vs. self
5. Person vs. fate
8. The basic conflict of
“Slom Season” is (b)
Father loved slom, but
Aunt Louisa hated it.
(Person vs. person)
9. The central conflict is (a)
that the family members are in
conflict with Father over is now
unreasonable insistence to eat
slom at every meal!
Rising Action
-- the characters will
try to resolve the main
conflict
Complications
-- smaller
problems that
need to be solved to
resolve the main conflict
Climax -the point of the story when the main
problem must be faced once and for
all -- usually the main character
learns something or gets help or
figures something out
Falling action
-- just after the new information
or big problem comes to a high
point of frustration or conflict,
the characters begin to resolve
the conflict
Resolution -doesn’t mean the problem has
been solved; it describes or
explains the outcome of the
action and often points to the
theme -- the message or lesson
of the story
10. The complication in the plot
of “Slom Season” is ©. It is bad
enough that the family has to eat
slom every day. The problem gets
worse when Father insists that it
be served at every meal!
11. Someone will do
something to stop the
unending flow of slom to
the family dinner table.
12. The climax of the story
occurs when Father is served
the boiled slom. The tension in
the story increases until this
point when Father is forced to
come to his senses.
13. The boiled slom did not look
appetizing. Father, who may have
been getting sick of slom as well,
was given an opportunity to reject it
and still save face. Father bought no
more slom, and all were glad.
Narrator -the person who tells the story; it can
be a person in the story -- This is
called “first person.”
Pronoun Clues: I, myself, me, we,
our.
Point of View:
determines how much we
get to know about the
characters and the plot
Point of View: four
first person
third-person omniscient third-person limited
second person
third-person omniscient narrator is an invisible observer
who sees and hear everything
that is taking place, but he/she
is not a character in the story!
Pronoun Clue -he, she, them
third-person limited narrator is half-way between: an
invisible observer, yet able to
understand the thoughts of only ONE
character; Pronoun Clue: he, she,
them, they
Second person --
a few stories are
written addressing the
reader -- “You go to the
store.”
To determine the point of view and
narrator, listen to the VOICE:
Who is telling the story?
What words does the this person use?
Is the language very formal, or does it contain a lot of
slang?
Does the story sound likes it’s being told by a college
professor or a ten-year-old kid?
The strong voice of the narrator keeps us interested.
14. (C) The narrator uses words like
we and us, so readers can assume the
narrator is part of the story. Because the
narrator mentions Father and Aunt
Louisa by name, neither of them can be
the narrator -- Selma is the narrator.
15. The point of view
of “Slom Season” is (a)
first person.
Fiction Forms -short story -a brief story that can be read in
one sitting; few characters; one
central conflict; in magazines or
anthologies
Fiction Forms -novel
-- longer and more complex than
a short story; characters and
events are described in great
detail; book form
Fiction Forms -novella -a piece of fiction that falls
between a short story and a
novel in length and
complexity
Fiction Forms -anthology
-- a collection of writings,
often by many different
authors; published in book
form
Theme -the main message an
author is trying to get
across -- more general
than the main idea;
Theme is the “big
concept” that applies
NOT only to the
characters in the story
but to human beings in
general.
The author’s
commentary on
human nature is….
Universal theme -a theme common to all
cultures
16. The theme of
“Slom Season” is (b)
that you can have too
much of a good thing.
Genre:Drama -a play, containing dialogue
and stage directions telling
actors what to do
Comedy
-- one type of play,
with a happy ending
(today this means
funny)
Tragedy -serious play; characters
struggle against some higher
power such as society, law,
fate
Caught’ya Story
“Tales of the Four-eyed
Weirdo”
Exposition -- genre, point of view,
narrator, mood, setting, character,
conflict
Appositive
An appositive is a noun or pronoun -- often
with modifiers -- set beside another noun
or pronoun to explain or identify it. Here
are some examples of appositives:
Appositive
1. Bill, your friend, is in trouble
2. My brother’s car, a sporty red
convertible with leather seats, is the envy
of all my friends.
3. Harold Weird, a hapless, inept kid, had
to move against his volition.
2 adjectives
Two adjectives need a
comma if there is no “and”
1. a sporty red convertible
2. a hapless, inept kid
Caught’ya Point
of View
3rd Person - “he”
Caught’ya
Narrator
Invisible 3rd person not in the
story who knows thoughts of at
least one character so far.
Caught’ya
Genre
Realistic Fiction-the story is
believable; it could happen to anyone; the
main character often faces an emotional or
psychological conflict.
Caught’ya
mood
May be serious, silly,
sad...
Caught’ya
setting
Time -- school year
Place -- Winston Junior High,
Palatine, Illinois
Caught’ya
protagonist
Harold Weird, without
Harold, there would be no
story!
Caught’ya
direct characterization
The author directly TELLS us that
he is poor, hapless, inept, weird,
and unfortunate.
INdirect characterization- The
author
S, speech -- none
yet SHOWS us….
T, thoughts -- none yet
E, effect on others -- none yet
A, actions --inept at sports, moved against his volition
L, looks: Four-eyed (glasses),
chubby, fat tummy, chocolate
brown skin, zits, round face
Conflicts Harold will face...
1. Harold vs. person
2. Harold vs. society
3. Harold vs. nature
4. Harold vs. self
5. Harold vs. fate
Harold had to move against
his volition.
1. Harold vs. parents
2. Harold vs. peers
3. Harold vs. self, fear of new
school being inept and hapless