The Elements of Fiction

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The Elements of Fiction
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Fiction is writing that tells about imaginary
characters and events. All works of fiction share
certain basic elements.

• They include made-up people or animals called
  characters and a made-up series of events called
  the plot.
• Fictional works take place in a time and
  location, or setting, which may or may not be
  real.

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• They are told by a speaker called the narrator.
• Fiction is told from a certain perspective, or
  point of view.

• First-person point of view is the perspective of
  a character in the story.
• Third-person point of view is the perspective of
  a narrator outside the story.

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Characters

• The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as
  people) appearing in a literary work.
• Round Characters are convincing, true to life.
  They are fully developed and exhibit many
  personality traits, often both virtues and
  faults.
• Flat Characters are stereotyped, shallow, and
  often symbolic. Have only one or two personality
  traits.

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Characters

• Dynamic Characters are characters who change or
  grow during the course of the work.
• Static characters are those that do not change.

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Characters personalities can be revealed directly
through the following

• The author develops the personality through
  direct statements. (for example the way Paul
  Langan described Darrell Mercers appearance in
  The Bully)

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Characters personalities can be revealed
indirectly through the following

• The characters thoughts, words, and actions
• The comments of the other characters
• The characters physical appearance

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Setting is the place where the story takes place.
Setting includes the following

• The geographical location (for example, Wyoming,
  London, South Carolina)
• The time period (for example, 1865, WWII, today,
  long ago)

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Setting is the place where the story takes place.
Setting includes the following

• The socio-economic characteristics of the
  location (for example, wealthy suburbs,
  depression dustbowl, poor farm town)
• The specific building, room and so forth (for
  example, a prep school, a log cabin, a bus, a
  house)

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The setting can be used to tell the readers

• About the characters
• To set the atmosphere or mood of the story

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PLOT

• Plot is the literary element that describes the
  structure of a story. It shows arrangement of
  events and actions within a story.
• A simple way to put it is
• beginning, middle and end.

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Identifying the Elements of A Plot Diagram

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Plot Diagram
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1
5
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Plot (definition)

• Plot is the organized pattern or sequence of
  events that make up a story. Every plot is made
  up of a series of incidents that are related to
  one another.

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1. Exposition

• This usually occurs at the beginning of a short
  story. Here the characters are introduced. We
  also learn about the setting of the story. Most
  importantly, we are introduced to the main
  conflict (main problem).

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2. Rising Action

• This part of the story begins to develop the
  conflict(s). A building of interest or suspense
  occurs.

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3. Climax

• This is the turning point of the story. Usually
  the main character comes face to face with a
  conflict. The main character will change in some
  way.

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4. Falling Action

• All loose ends of the plot are tied up. The
  conflict(s) and climax are taken care of.

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5. Resolution

• The story comes to a reasonable ending.

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Putting It All Together
1. Exposition 2. Rising Action 3. Climax 4.
Falling Action 5. Resolution
Beginning of Story
Middle of Story
End of Story
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Types of Fiction

• Novels are long works of fiction. A novel has a
  plot in which characters face a problem in a
  specific time and place. In addition to a main
  plot it may contain subplots, or minor stories
  within the larger story.
• Novellas are works of fiction that are longer
  than short stories but shorter than novels.

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Types of Fiction

• Short stories are brief works of fiction. Like a
  novel, a short story has characters, a setting,
  and a plot. Unlike a novel, it has a single
  conflict and is meant to be read in one sitting.
• Fairy tales, folk tales, fables, tall tales,
  realistic fiction, historical fiction, mysteries,
  adventures, horror, myths are types of fiction.