Transcript ELEMENTS OF FICTION

ELEMENTS OF
NARRATIVES
The notes….
Narrative (from the word ‘narrate’ meaning ‘to tell’.
Narratives are stories that are either told
orally or they are written down.
 They can be fiction or non-fiction.
 They take many forms. (see GENRE)
 They have several elements, or important
parts.

GENRE:
the ‘type of ’ or ‘certain kind of ’ something
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In this class it would be the type of literature we
might be reading at the moment.
Fiction:
Non-Fiction
Novels
Fantasy
Fairy tales
Mystery
Poetry
Short stories
Biography
Autobiography
Newspaper
Speeches
Magazine articles
PLOT
The plot is the action of the narrative.

Narratives are organized in this way:
1.
Exposition: start of the story
2.
Rising action: problem is stated or revealed in this part
of the story
3.
Climax: high point of the story
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4.
tension is greatest here,
the problem is at its worst and may start to be solved)
Falling action: the tension lessens, and the problem may be
solved at this point
5.
Resolution: the reader learns the outcome of the story, or the
end of the story
PROTAGONIST:
the main character in the story, or the
one most important to the action of a
story
 is also sometimes referred to as the
‘hero’ in a story

Red Riding Hood
 Three Little Pigs
 Cat in the Hat
 Harry Potter

ANTAGONIST:
The force working against the main
character in the story
 Note:The antagonist does not have to
be a person (human)

The Big Bad Wolf
 Thing One, Thing Two
Some uncontrollable force or event in life

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POINT OF VIEW:
the perspective or vantage point from which an author tells a story.
In this class, we will only be dealing with two
Points of View:
1st person:


the story is told by
someone in (who is
part of) the story.
In 1st person, the
writer or speaker will
use these types of
pronouns:
me, we, us, etc.
3rd person:


The story is told by
someone who is
outside (who is not a
part) of the story.
In 3rd person, the
writer or speaker will
use these types of
pronouns:

he, she, they, etc.
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE:

the author’s specific reason for writing:

When asked about “author’s purpose”, or the
author’s reason for writing, limit your answer to
these responses:
To inform or explain
 To entertain
 To persuade
 To enlighten (teach an important truth or a lesson)

CONFLICT

The problem or situation around which the
plot of a fiction narrative revolves.

There are 5 main types of conflict:
CONFLICT:
Man v/s man

The man character has a problem with
another character

Note: Don’t take that literally. The other
character does not necessarily have to be human.
CONFLICT:
Man v/s Self

The main character has problem deciding
what to do or what to think
CONFLICT:
Man v/s Society

The main character has a problem with the
beliefs, laws, or ways of a group
CONFLICT:
Man v/s Nature
The main character has a problem with a force
of nature
 Examples:

a blizzard
 a tornado
 on a small boat in rough waters
 lost in a desert

CONFLICT:
Man v/s Fate
The main character has a problem over which
he or she doesn’t seem to have any control
 Examples:

A serious injury
 An illness
 A mental or physical handicap

Setting
WHERE
and
WHEN
a story takes place

Has to do with locations, time periods, seasons of the
year, etc.
Symbol

An object or event in a story that stands for
some idea or emotion.
Style
The particular way that an author writes or expresses thoughts.
 Shakespeare: very formal, use of olde English
 Dr. Suess: simple words, rhyming, certain colors for illustrations
Some style questions:
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Does the piece sound conversational?
Or is it more businesslike and formal?
Is the language difficult or easy? Does the writer use slang?
Are the chapters long or short?
In what genre does this author usually write?
Does the way in which this writer puts words and details together
to make a story appeal to you?
Dialogue and Dialect
Dialogue: What the characters say.
When the characters speak, the words they say will be found inside quotation marks.
“Stop it!” Terry threw up his hands in a show of anger. “I have had enough of you.”
Dialect: How the characters sound when they speak.

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Southern drawl
Northern sound
New York accent
Use of slang
Use of certain terms
“What up?”
“Wazzup?”
“Good ‘ay.”
“Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!”
“Hey, ya’ll!”
“How ya doin’? “”How are you doing?”
Mood
also referred to as tone
-the feelings or emotions in the reader caused by the
story.
Usually details in the setting will help establish the mood of a story.
Theme
the underlying message that the author wants the reader to
understand
It is what that the writer wants the reader to understand most about
the story.
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Possible themes for “The Three Little Pigs”
Whatever you do, do it well
Always be prepared
Points to remember about theme:
It will not be directly stated in the story.
You usually won’t know the theme until After Reading, when you’re in
the Pause and Reflect stage of the Reading Process.