Elements of Fiction
Plot
Theme
Setting
Characterization
Narration
Plot
• Simply put, plot is what happens
in the story. Some call it the
storyline.
• When doing an Elements of
fiction hand, describe the plot
in ten words or less without
revealing the plot’s climax or
resolution.
PLOT
The series of events and actions that takes place in a story.
Climax
Beginning
End
Expositions
Resolution
Plot Line
Climax: The turning point. The most intense
moment (either mentally or in action.
Rising Action: the
series of conflicts and
crisis in the story that
lead to the climax.
Exposition: The start of the story.
The way things are before the action
starts.
Falling Action: all of the action
which follows the Climax.
Resolution: The conclusion, the
tying together of all of the threads.
Theme
• It’s the moral or main idea of the story.
Themes do not provide any plot
developments, are not expressed in a
single word, is not the moral or the
conflict, and apply to many types of
stories in almost any genre.
• Can Be expressed in a single sentence
• Its central idea.
It usually contains some insight into the
human condition.
Theme, cont….
Identifying the Theme in Five Steps
To identify the theme, be sure that you’ve first identified the story’s plot, the way the
story uses characterization, and the primary conflict in the story.
1. Summarize the plot by writing a one-sentence description for the exposition, the conflict, the rising
action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.
2. Identify the subject of the work.
3. Identify the insight or truth that was learned about the subject.
• How did the protagonist change?
• What lesson did the protagonist learn from the resolution of the conflict?
4. State how the plot presents the primary insight or truth about the subject.
5. Write one or more generalized, declarative sentences that state what was learned and how it was
learned.
Theme Litmus Test
• Is the theme supported by evidence from the work itself?
• Are all the author’s choices of plot, character, conflict, and tone controlled by this
theme?
Symbolism
A symbol represents an idea, quality, or concept larger than itself.
A Journey can
symbolize life.
Black can
represent evil or
death.
Water may
represent a new
beginning.
A lion could be a
symbol of courage.
Characterization
• The main character in a story is called
the protagonist. She or he is always
involved in the main conflict and its
resolution.
• The person opposing the protagonist is
called the antagonist.
• When doing an Elements of Fiction
hand, use the methods of
characterization (flat, round, dynamic,
or static) to describe the protagonists
and antagonists in the story.
Narration
• First Person Point of View: The narrator
tells the story and is a character in the
story. (Pronouns: I, me, us, we, our, etc.)
• Third Person Omniscient: The narrator is
not a character in the story but can tell
you the thoughts and actions of all
characters at all times. (Pronouns: he,
she, him, her, they, them, etc.)
• Third Person Limited: The narrator is not
a character in the story but can tell you
the thoughts and actions of a few key
characters at all times. (Pronouns: he,
she, him, her, they, them, etc.)
Setting
• The setting provides us with the when and
where the story took place. In addition, the
context or historical background in which the
story is set provides us with additional plot
information.
The Geographical
Location
The Time Period
The Specific
location like room
The
socioeconomic
status of the
location
Methods of Characterization
Flat Characterization
• A character who has one or two
sides, representing one or two
traits—often a stereotype.
Flat characters help move
the plot along more quickly
because the audience
immediately understands
what the character is about.
• Example: Like a geeky
science professor
Round Characterization
• A character who is complex and
has many sides or traits
with unpredictable
behavior and a fully
developed personality.
Antagonists are usually
a round characterization.
• Example: Like The
Green Goblin (Norman Osborn)
Dynamic Characterization
• A character who experiences an
essential change in personality
or attitude. Protagonists are
almost always dynamic.
• Example: Stitch,
from Lilo and
Stitch
Static Characterization
• A character who does not
change or develop beyond the
way in which she or he is first
presented.
• Example: Atticus
Finch from To
Kill a Mockingbird.
Types of Conflict
External Conflict
• There are
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=zCy5WQ9S4c0
three types of
external
conflict:
character vs.
character;
character vs.
society; and
character vs.
nature.
Character vs. Character
• The protagonist
in the story
experiences
conflict with
others,
especially the
antagonist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
pXJx5mORmMI
Character vs. Society
• The
protagonist
in the
story
experiences
conflict
with
society as
a whole.
Character vs. Nature
• The
protagonist in
the story
experiences
conflict with
the elements
of nature.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
qybhVvjsEhE
Internal Conflict
• The
protagonist in
the story
experiences
conflict with
her or his
conscience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
I5wt4tSJpjw&list=TL4uTufEupOc
4
Other Fiction Elements
•Allusion: a reference to a person, place or literary, historical, artistic,
mythological source or event.
“It was in St. Louis, Missouri, where they have that giant
McDonald’s thing towering over the city…”(Bean Trees 15)
•Atmosphere: the prevailing emotional and mental climate of a piece of
fiction.
•Dialogue: the reproduction of a conversation between two of the
characters.
Other Elements Continued
•Foreshadowing: early clues about what will happen later in a piece of fiction.
•Irony: a difference between what is expected and reality.
•Style: a writer’s individual and distinct way of writing. The total of the qualities
that distinguish one author’s writing from another’s.
•Structure: the way time moves through a novel.
•Chronological: starts at the beginning and moves through time.
•Flashback: starts in the present and then goes back to the past.
•Circular or Anticipatory: starts in the present, flashes back to the past,
and returns to the present at the conclusion.
•Panel: same story told from different viewpoints. (Lou Ann and Taylor
chapters in The Bean Trees.