Literary Elements

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Literary Elements

• What parts make up a story?
• http//members.tripod.com/dscorpio/images/literary
  _elements.ppt

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Story are made up of 4 parts

• Setting
• Characters
• Plot
• Climax
• Resolution
• Theme

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SETTING

• WHEN? WHERE?
• MOOD? TONE?

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Setting
Time and place where the action occurs

• Clues that tell you SETTING
• Furniture
• Scenery
• Customs
• Transportation
• Clothing
• Dialects
• Weather
• Time of day
• Time of year

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Elements of a Setting
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The Functions of a Setting

• To create a mood or atmosphere
• To show a reader a different way of life
• To make action seem more real
• To be the source of conflict or struggle
• To symbolize an idea

Thomas Kincaid painting- If a narrative begins in
this painting, what mood and tone is it setting?
Where does it take place? When? How does this
warm, fuzzy setting affect the story?
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CHARACTERS

• WHO IS IT?
• WHY IS HE THAT WAY?
• HOW DOES HE AFFECT THE STORY?

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Types of Characters

• Protagonist-main character
• Antagonist-against the main character
• Secondary characters
• Static characters-dont change, have no depth
• Dynamic characters-interesting, change throughout
  book

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Characterization

• A writer reveals what a character is like and how
  the character changes throughout the story.
• Two primary methods of characterization
• Direct- writer tells what the character is like
• Indirect- writer shows what a character is like
  through actions, speech, or thoughts of other
  characters.

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Direct Characterization
And I dont play the dozens or believe in
standing around with somebody in my face doing a
lot of talking. I much rather just knock you down
and take my chances even if Im a little girl
with skinny arms and a squeaky voice, which is
how I got the name Squeaky. From Raymonds
Run by T. Bambara
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Indirect Characterization
I will do that, Ramona, said the lawyer. But
be careful. He is a devious, danger man. -pp.
33 Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
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Elements of Character
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Factors in Analyzing Characters

• Physical appearance of character
• Personality
• Background/personal history
• Motivation
• Relationships
• Conflict
• Does character change?

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PLOT

• WHAT IS HAPPENING?
• WHY?
• WHY DOES IT MATTER?

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Plot

• Plot is what happens and how it happens in a
  narrative. A narrative is any work that tells a
  story, such as a short story, a novel, a drama,
  or a narrative poem.

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Parts of a Plot

• Exposition-introduction to story where setting,
  main characters, conflict, mood, and tone are
  introduced.
• Rising Action- events that occur as result of
  central conflict.
• Climax- point where protagonist makes a profound
  change.
• Falling Action- where loose ends are tied up,
  especially in side-stories.
• Resolution- when conflict ends.

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Diagram of Plot
Climax
Falling Action
Rising Action
Resolution/Denouement
Exposition
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Special Techniques of Plot

• Suspense- excitement or tension.
• Foreshadowing- hint or clue about what will
  happen in story.
• Flashback- interrupts the normal sequence of
  events to tell about something that happened in
  the past.
• Surprise Ending- conclusion that reader does not
  expect.
• Cliffhanger- when a narrative lacks a satisfying
  resolution.

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Conflict

• Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces
• Every plot must contain some kind of conflict
• Stories can have more than one conflict
• 4 main types of conflict
• Man vs. man- protagonist struggles against
  another character in the narrative
• Man vs. self- protagonist has internal struggle
  against some problem within himself
• Man vs. nature- protagonist struggles against an
  element of nature (like a blizzard or an animal)
• Man vs. society- protagonist against a social
  injustice, like racism or an unfair government

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THEME

• WHAT CAN THE READER LEARN FROM THIS NARRATIVE?

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Theme

• A central message, concern, or insight into life
  expressed through a literary work
• Can be expressed by one or two sentence statement
  about human beings or about life
• Interpretation uncovers the theme-it is usually
  not directly stated by the author

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Example of Theme
Every man needs to feel allegiance to his native
country, whether he always appreciates that
country or not. From A Man Without a Country
by Edward Hale pg. 185 in Prentice Hall
Literature book
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Example of what ISNT a theme

• Love
• Love is not a lesson you learn from a narrative.
  It is an idea, not a theme.
• In order to truly love someone else, you must
  first love yourself.
• This is a lesson you can learn about love from a
  narrative, therefore this is a THEME.