Elements of Fiction

1
Elements of Fiction
2
setting

• The time, place, and atmosphere of a story
  including
• geographical location (London, Texas, the
  Caribbean, etc.)
• time period (1904, WWII, the 60s, etc.)

3
setting

• The socio-economic characteristics of the
  location (wealthy suburbs, dustbowl, etc.)
• He specific location building, room,
  vehicle(school, kitchen, bus, military bus,
  etc.)

4
setting

• can also be used to tell the reader about the
  character, atmosphere, and to set up the the
  story

5
characters

• The people, animals, things, force, etc.,
  appearing in a literary work
• protagonist main character
• antagonist - the character or force in conflict
  with the protagonist

6
characters

• round character shows many different traits,
  good and bad
• dynamic character develops and grows during the
  course of a story

7
characters

• flat character shows very few character traits
• static character changes little, if at all,
  during a story

8
plot

• The sequence of events in a literary work
  involving characters and a central conflict

9
plot

• Gustav Freytag, a 19th century German novelist,
  saw common patterns in the plots of stories and
  created Freytags Pyramid which consists of five
  main elements

10
plot

• Freytags pyramid

climax
rising action
falling action
resolution
exposition
conflict introduced
11
plot

• exposition introduces the characters, setting,
  and the basic situation
• rising action all the events leading up to the
  climax
• climax the high point of interest or suspense

12
plot

• falling action follows the climax and leads up
  to the resolution
• resolution the end of the central conflict

13
plot

• inciting incident introduces the central
  conflict occurs after the exposition and before
  the rising action

14
plot

• denouement any events that occur after the
  resolution
• dey-noo-mah

15
conflict

• A struggle between two opposing forces
  (characters).

16
conflict

• internal conflict involves a character in
  conflict with himself or herself

Man vs. Himself
17
conflict

• external conflict the main character struggles
  with an outside source

Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Society
18
point of view

• The perspective from which a story is told
• 1st person narrator a character tells the
  story can be main or minor character

19
point of view

• omniscient 3rd person narrator a person outside
  the story narrates the story and can tell what
  all characters think and feel

20
point of view

• limited third-person narrator a person outside
  the story narrates the story and can see the
  world through one characters eyes and reveals
  only that characters thoughts and feelings

21
point of view

• with 3rd-person limited, other characters
  thoughts and feelings are revealed through their
  dialogue and actions

22
theme

• The central message or insight to life revealed
  through a literary work
• may be stated directly or implied by the events
  and actions in the story

23
symbol

• Anything that stands for something else

A lion can be a symbol for courage.
A heart can be a symbol of love.
24
imagery

• Descriptive or figurative language used to create
  word pictures for the reader will appeal to any
  or all of the five senses (sight, sound, taste,
  touch, smell)

25
tone

• The writers attitude toward his audience and/or
  subject
• can usually be described by a single adjective

26
mood

• The feeling created in the reader by a literary
  work
• usually suggested by descriptive details
• can be described in a single word