Literary Elements
What makes a
great story?
• Plot, Setting, Characters, Conflict,
Symbol, and Point of View are the main
elements which fiction writers use to
develop a story and its theme.
Plot
• Plot is the sequence of related
events in a work of literature.
What makes up the plot?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Exposition: gives background information about the setting and characters
Foreshadowing: the use of hints or clues to suggest what will happen later
in the story.
Inciting Force: the event or character that triggers the conflict.
Conflict: the essence of fiction. It creates plot. The conflicts we encounter
can usually be identified as one of four kinds. A series of events that builds
from the conflict. It begins with the inciting force and ends with the
climax.
Crisis: the conflict reaches a turning point. At this point the opposing
forces in the story meet and the conflict becomes most intense. The crisis
occurs before or at the same time as the climax.
Climax: the climax is the result of the crisis. It is the high point of the
story for the reader. Frequently, it is the moment of the highest interest
and greatest emotion. The point at which the outcome of the conflict can be
predicted.
Falling Action: the events after the climax which close the story.
Denouement: the resolution; the aftermath or outcome of the plot; how
things are settled in the end
• Flashback: a scene that interrupts the
action to show an event that happened
earlier
• Epiphany: a moment of understanding,
insight, or revelation experienced by a
character concerning what is happening to
him or her
Setting
• The setting is the time and place in which events
of a literary work take place.
• There are two types of setting: Physical and
Chronological.
• The physical setting is where the story takes
place. The “where” can be very general—a small
farming community, for example—or very
specific—a two story white frame house at 739
Hill Street in Scott City, Missouri.
• Likewise, the chronological setting, the “when,”
can be equally general or specific.
Character
• A character is a person, animal, object, creature, or natural
force in a work of literature.
• Protagonist: the main character in a work of literature
• Antagonist: a character or force that opposes the
protagonist; not necessarily a villain or "bad guy"
• Foil: A character who provides a contrast to the
protagonist.
• Static Character: a character who does not change
• Dynamic Character: a character who changes in an
important way
• Flat Character: a "one-sided" character; displays only one
or two distinguishing traits; usually can be summed up in one
sentence
• Round Character: a character presented in-depth from
many angles; may be complex and many-sided
What is Conflict?
• Conflict: struggle between characters or
forces (ideas, actions, desires, goals, etc.)
that brings about action
• internal conflict: occurs within an
individual
• external conflict: occurs when an
individual struggles against an outside
force (an animal, a force of nature,
another character, etc.)
Types of Conflict
•
•
•
•
Man versus Man
Conflict that pits one person against another.
Man versus Nature
A run-in with the forces of nature. On the one hand, it expresses the
insignificance of a single human life in the cosmic scheme of things. On the
other hand, it tests the limits of a person’s strength and will to live.
Man versus Society
The values and customs by which everyone else lives are being challenged.
The character may come to an untimely end as a result of his or her own
convictions. The character may, on the other hand, bring others around to
a sympathetic point of view, or it may be decided that society was right
after all.
Man versus Self
Internal conflict. Not all conflict involves other people. Sometimes people
are their own worst enemies. An internal conflict is a good test of a
character’s values. Does he give in to temptation or rise above it? Does he
demand the most from himself or settle for something less? Does he even
bother to struggle? The internal conflicts of a character and how they are
resolved are good clues to the character’s inner strength.
Symbol
• A person, place or object which has a meaning in
itself but suggests other meanings as well. Things,
characters, and actions can be symbols; Anything
that suggests a meaning beyond the obvious.
• Ex: A dove may represent peace
Point of View
•
•
•
•
•
A story's point of view is the angle or position from which a
narrative is told.
First-person point of view: the narrator is one of the characters
and tells the story in his or her own words; uses the words I, me,
we, and us; the reader only knows what the narrator knows and
observes
Third-person point of view: the narrator is not one of the
characters (an outside observer) and uses the words he, she, it,
they, and them; the two types of third-person point of view are
limited and omniscient;
Third-person limited focuses on the feelings and thoughts of one
character; third-person omniscient has an "all-knowing" narrator
who can describe the thoughts and feelings of all characters
(Omni- means "all")
Objective/Dramatic point of view: the narrator does not reveal
the feelings and thoughts of any character; the narrator only
records what is seen and heard; the reader, like a spectator at a
movie or play, can only infer what characters feel
Theme
•
Theme isn’t so much an element of fiction as much as the result of
the entire story. The theme is the main idea the writer of the
poem or story wants the reader to understand and remember.
•
You may have used the word “moral” in discussing theme; but it’s
not a good synonym because “moral” implies a positive meaning or
idea and not all themes are positive.
•
One word—love, for example—may be a topic; but it cannot be a
theme. A theme is a statement about a topic.
For example: “The theme of the story is that love is the most
important thing in the world.”
•
Not all stories or poems (or films) have an overriding “universal”
theme.