Fiction
Plot
Plot is the sequence of related events of which a story is
composed, presented in a significant order. It is also, the
narrative and thematic development of the story. There is no plot
without causality.
The plot is composed of many elements:
Conflict
Complications
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
1. Conflict: The basic tension, the very unpleasant situation, or
the challenge that propels a story's plot.
There are three types of conflicts. Two of them are
external, and the third one is internal. The first two conflicts are
either a conflict between a person against another person or a
conflict of a person against his environment. As for the internal
conflict, it is about a person against him/herself.
Whether the conflict is internal or external, they may also be
physical, mental, emotional or moral.
e.g. In the novel Tom Jones, Tom Jones and Sophia
Western can't get married. This is because of the fact that Tom
is only a foundling bastard and Sophia's father wants her to
marry someone of her own social class.
2.
Complications:
The
plot
events
that
plunge
the
protagonist, the story's main character, further into conflict
with the antagonist, a character, or a force.
3. Rising Action: The part of plot in which the drama
becomes intense, rising towards the climax. For example, In
Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe disobeys his father and goes out to sea.
Crusoe has fantasies of success in Brazil, and prepares for a
slave gathering expedition.
4.Climax: Is the plot's most dramatic and revealing moment,
usually the turning point of the story. In this element, the
situation gets worse or more difficult for the protagonist even if
his situation is objectively improved. In Pride and Prejudice, the
climax is shown very well when Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth
Bennet. In Tom Jones, the climax is reached when Tom is thrown
into prison for killing Fitzpatrick.
5. Falling Action: Is the part that comes after the climax in
a plot, when the drama subsides and the conflict is resolved.
e.g. In Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe constructs a shelter,
secures food supply, and accepts his stay on the island
as the work of providence.
Suspense and Surprise:
First, what is suspense? Suspense is the quality in story
that makes the reader ask about what is going to happen next.
The first basis of suspense is the foreknowledge that something
bad is going to happen.
There are two common devices for achieving suspense:
1.
Element of Mystery: is an unusual set of circumstances
for which the readers needs an explanation.
2.
The second device is to place the protagonist in a
dilemma. Dilemma is a position in which the protagonist
must choose between two undesirable courses of action.
As for the surprise, it is proportional to the unexpectedness
of what happens; it is pronounced when the story departs
radically from our expectation. If we know ahead of time, what is
exactly going to happen in a story and why, there would be no
suspense. But, as long as we do not know, whatever happens comes
with an element of surprise.
The Ending of a Story:
First of all, The ending of the story must surprise the reader
whether it is happy, unhappy, or undetermined. In the stories
that have a happy ending, the protagonist must solve his
problems, defeat the villain, win the girl and live happily ever
after. On the other hand, an unhappy ending has a particular
value for writers who wish us to think of life. It is more likely to
raise significant issues. A story, therefore, may have an
undetermined ending. In this kind of ending, no definitive
conclusion is reached. Finally, the good plot must have artistic
unity. There must be nothing in the story that is irrelevant to the
total meaning, nothing that is theme only for its own sake or its
own excitement.
Characters
Characters and plot are one substance. None of them can
move without the movement of the other.
Presenting Characters by the Author:
There are two ways of presenting the characters, which
are:
1.
Direct Presentation. Here, the author tells us straight
out or let someone else in the story tells us what the
characters are like. The direct presentation has its own
advantages and disadvantages. One of its advantages is
being clear and economical. On the other hand, it can be
scarcely used alone. In addition, it may not be emotionally
convincing
if
it
is
not
supported
by
the
indirect
presentation.
2.
Indirect Presentation. In this type, the author shows us
the characters in action. We are the one who infer what
they are a like from their behaviors.
To be convincing, characters should have three principles:
1.
The characters must be consistent in their behavior.
They always behave in one way unless there is a clear
reason for behaving differently.
2.
the characters must be motivated in whatever they do.
We must be able to understand why they are acting in this
way, if not immediately, at least by the end of the story.
3.
The characters must be plausible. They must not be
monsters of evil nor angels of virtue, but must be one of
what could appear somewhere in the normal life.
Protagonist and Antagonist:
The story's protagonist is the central agent in generating
the plot and is the story's main character.
Examples of Protagonists:
1.
In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet is the
protagonist.
2.
In Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe is the protagonist.
3.
In Tom Jones, Tom Jones is the protagonist.
On the other hand, the antagonist is the character or force in
conflict with the protagonist.
Examples of Antagonists:
1.
In Pride and Prejudice, the antagonist is the snobbish
class- consciousness (Epitomized by Lady Catherine de
Bourgh and Miss Bingley).
2.
In Tom Jones, Blifil is the antagonist to Tom, the main
character in the novel.
Types of a Stories’ Characters:
The characters in a story are either Flat or Round.
1.
Flat characters: Are characters who appear only
once or twice in a story. Their traits usually do not
change. Also, minor characters should remain flat.
Flat characters have two special kinds of characters,
either static or stock.
a)
Static Character: Is a character that remains
primarily the same throughout a story or novel.
Events in the story do not change or motivate a
static character. In Pride and Prejudice, Charles
Bingley is static.
b) Stock Character: Is stereotyped character
which is recognizable to most readers whenever
it occurs in fiction. The cruel step mother, the
stupid thief, the handsome prince, and the mad
scientist are examples of stock characters.
2.
Round Characters: Are well developed characters
that sometimes have contradictory traits. Major
characters are usually round. A special kind of round
character is the dynamic aka. developing character.
Dynamic character: Is a character which changes
during the course of a story or a novel. The
change may be large or small; to the better or
to the worse.
e.g. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is a
dynamic character.
Theme
Definition of Theme:
Theme is the meaning or concept that we are left with
after reading a piece of fiction. Theme can also be defined as the
underlying meaning of the story. It is an answer to the question
"what did you learn from this story"?
In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach.
The Easiest Ways to Recognize the Theme:
1.
Ask yourself this question, "what is the protagonist's
biggest emotional decision to resolve the story's conflict"?
2.
In a simple story, you may find the theme in a single
sentence given by the author or through one of the
characters. Not all stories have themes.
In addition, the theme exists only in these cases:
1.
When the author wants to reveal some facts about life.
2.
When the author shows a concept or theory of life that
the story illustrates.
The Function of Interpretive Writers:
1.
They do not want to state a theme but to vivify it. They
do not write a story for illustrating a theme, but to bring
alive some segments of human existence.
2.
They do not wish to deliver theme simply to our
intellects, but to our emotions, our senses, and our
imaginations.
Which Term of Theme is Preferable and Why?
The critical term “theme” is preferable, for several
reasons:
1.
It does not consider the story as a preachment. On
the contrary, the story's first object is enjoyment.
2.
It should keep us from wringing a didactic
pronouncement about life from every story we read.
While discussing the theme, we should keep in mind the
following principles:
1.
The theme should be expressible in the form of a
statement with a subject and a predicate.
2.
The theme should be stated as a generalization about
life.
3.
We must be careful not to make the generalization larger
than the justified by the terms of the story.
4.
The theme is the central and unifying concept of a story:
a- It is important for all the major details of the story.
b- The theme is not contradicting to any detail in the
story.
c- The theme cannot rely upon an unclear fact in the
story.
5. There are many ways of stating the theme of a story. As
long as presenting a view of life is fulfilled, the view may be
stated in more than one way.
6. We should avoid any statement that reduces the theme to
some familiar saying (cliché) that we have heard all our
lives.
Examples of Themes:
1.
In Pride and Prejudice, we can say that the themes of the
novel are:
a- Love
b- Reputation
c- Social class
2.
In Robinson Crusoe, themes are:
a- The ambivalence of mastery
b- The necessity of repentance
c- The importance of self awareness.
3.
In Tom Jones, themes are:
a- Virtue as action rather than thought.
b- The impossibility of stereotypical categorization
c- The tension between Art and Artifice.
Effect in Fiction
In the same way that a painter uses shape, color, perspective and
other aspects of visual art to create a painting, A fiction writer
uses character, plot, point of view, theme and various kinds of
symbolism and language to create artistic effect in fiction.
POINT OF VIEW:
(Who is telling the story?, is it the narrator or the main
character)
Point of view in fiction refers to the source and scope of the
narrative voice.
First person point of view: usually identifiable by the use of the
pronoun "I", a character in the story does the narration. He is
maybe a major character and is often its protagonist. OR may
also be a minor character, someone within the story but not
centrally involved, as when a story is told by a character who is
not active in the plot but has observed the events. In this kind of
point of view, what can be shown is limited to the character's
observation and thoughts. and any skewed perceptions in the
narrator will be passed on the reader.
Second person point of view:
This narrator speaks directly to the reader: "You walk in the
room and what do you see? It's Mullins again, and you say, 'Out.
I've done with him.'" This point of view is rare primarily because
it is artificial and self-conscious. It seems to invite
identification on the part of the reader with the narrator, but it
often fails.
Third person point of view:
It occurs when the narrator does not take part in the story. e.g.
"I don't learn from my mistakes" might become in the third
person," she never learns from her mistakes"
a-Third person omniscient: the narrative voice can render
information from anywhere, including the thoughts and feelings
of any of the characters.
b-Third person limited: The narrative voice can relate what is in
the minds of only a select few characters.
c-Third person objective: The narrator renders explicit,
observed details and does not have access to the internal
thoughts of characters or background information about the
situation.
SYMBOLS:
(symbols represents an idea, quality, or concept larger than
itself)
If an image in a story is used repeatedly and begins to carry
multiple layers of meaning, it may be significant enough to call a
symbol. Symbols are often objects, like a rose, or they may be
parts of a landscape, like a river. While a normal image is
generally used once, to complete a scene or passage, a symbol is
often referred to repeatedly and carries meanings essential to
the story. Some symbols are universal, like water for cleansing,
but others are more culturally based. In some African societies,
for example, a black cat is seen as good luck. Fiction writers use
cultural associations as well as meanings drawn from the context
of the story to create multiple levels of meaning.
a-The meaning of literary symbol must be established and
supported by the entire context of the story. A symbol has its
meaning inside not outside story.
b-To be called a symbol, an item must suggest a meaning
different in kind from its literal meaning.
c-A symbol has a cluster of meanings.
IRONY:
(..say one thing, but mean another)
A term with a range of meanings, all of them involving some sort
of discrepancy or incongruity. It should not be confused with
sarcasm which is simply language designed to cause pain. Irony
used to suggest the difference between appearance and reality,
expectation and fulfillment.
Kinds of Irony:
a-Verbal irony: the opposite is said from what is intended.(writer
say thing, but means another)
b-Dramatic irony: the contrast between what a character says
and what the reader knows to be true.
c-Irony of situation: discrepancy between appearance and
reality, or between what is and what would seem appropriate.
ESCAPE AND INTERPRETATION:
why bother to read FICTION?? For ENJOYMENT and
UNDERSTANDING)
FICTION is like food. Some is rich in protein and vitamins; it
builds bone and sinew. Some is highly agreeable to the taste but
not lastingly supporting. ESCAPE FICTION is of the latter two
sorts. The harmless kind bears on the face of it what it is. It
pretends to be nothing other than pleasant diversion and never
ask to be taken seriously. INTERPRETATIVE FICTION is
pretend to give a faithful treatment of life as it is, but through
its shallowness it subtly falsifies life in every line.
Escape literature: is that written purely for entertainment to
help us pass the time agreeably. it takes us away from the real
world and to forget our troubles.* it has as its only object
pleasure.
Interpretive literature: is written to broaden and deepen and
sharpen our awareness of life. It takes us, through the
imagination, deeper into the real world and enable us to
understand our troubles. * it has as its object pleasure plus
understanding.
# The difference between them does not lie in the presence or
absence of a" Moral". The story that in all of its incidents and
characters is shallow may have an unimpeachable moral , while the
interpretive story may have no moral at all in any conventional
sense.
#The difference does not lie in the absence or presence of
"Facts". The historical romance may be full of historical
information and yet be pure escape in its depiction of human
behavior.
# The difference does not lie in the presence or absence of an
"element of fantasy".
The differences between the two kinds of literature is deeper
and more subtle than any of these distinctions.
Escape writers: they are like inventors who devise a design for
our diversion. Also, they are full of tricks and surprises.
Interpretive writers: they are discoverers because they take us
out into the midst of life . and take us behind the scenes, where
they show us the mirrors and seek to make clear the illusions.
THE SCALE OF VALUE:
(Literary judgment depends ultimately on our perceptive,
intelligence, and experience)
* Every story is to be initially judged by how fully it achieves its
central purpose . In a good story every element works with every
other elements for the accomplishment of the central purpose. It
follows that no element in the story may be judged in isolation.
* Once a story has been judged successful in achieving its central
purpose, we may apply a second principle of judgment. A story if
successful, may be judged by the significance of its purpose.
if a story's only aim is to entertain, whether by mystifying,
surprising, thrilling, affecting to laughter or tears, we may judge
it of less value than a story whose aim is to "reveal".
When a story provide serious statement about life, we may
measure it by the breadth and depth of that relation.
*There are no appointed officials to whom we can apply for
certain information.
*Our only passports are our own good judgments based on our
collected experience with both literature and life.