Transcript Elements of Fiction

Elements of Fiction
What do I remember about story
elements?
Plot
• Structure (organization of series of related
events)
– Exposition (basic situation)
– Conflict (character’s problem or problems)
– Rising Action (series of complications)
– Climax (the point we learn what the outcome of
the conflict will be)
– Resolution (closing of the story)
• Time and Sequence (usually chronological)
Plot Diagram
Climax
Complications
Conflict
Exposition or
Basic Situation
Rising Action
Resolution
Plot, Cont.
• Flashback- A scene that occurs out of sequence
and tells of events that happened in the past.
• Foreshadowing- Clues and hints that tell of what
will happen later in the plot. They help build
suspense.
• Suspense- You are excited to find out what will
happen. (Interesting characters, relatable
conflicts, sentence structure, foreshadowing and
plot variation all create suspense.)
Plot, cont.
• Conflict – Opposition of two or more forces. It is
closely tied to character motivation.
– Internal – occurs within a character’s heart or mind.
– External – occurs when a character faces off against
nature, another character, or a group of people.
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CHARACTER vs. SOCIETY
CHARACTER vs. CHARACTER
CHARACTER vs. NATURE
CHARACTER vs. SELF
CHARACTER vs. FATE
Setting
• Setting- time and place in which a story
occurs. It also includes season, time of day,
temperature, historical period, customs &
culture.
• Mood- the story’s emotional effect or
atmosphere. This is usually accomplished
through word choice and details described.
• Imagery – description appealing to one or
more of the five senses.
How do I Analyze Plot & Setting?
• Make predictions – base them on clues in the
story, experiences in real life, and your
knowledge of how stories work.
• Understand Cause and Effect – know how
events are held together. (Cause is the reason
something happens; Effect is the result of an
event).
• Visualize – Use your imagination to translate
the words into images
Practice Predicting
• “As I sit sewing in the room of the rebuilt
house in which I slept as a child, I hear the
crackle, catch a whiff of smoke from the stove
downstairs, and suddenly the room goes dark,
the stitches burn beneath my fingers, and I am
sewing with a needle of hot silver, a thread of
fire.”
-- from, “The Leap” by Louise Erdrich
Practice Cause and Effect
• “The outboard motor idles. In the sudden
silence, everyone turns to look at Rahal,
collectively holding their breath. He pulls the
starter cable a few times, but nothing
happens.”
-- from “The Trip” by Laila Lalami
Practice Visualizing
• “He saw, in that instant, the Loew’s theater
sign, blocks ahead past Fiftieth Street; the
miles of traffic signals, all green now; the
lights of cars and street lamps; countless neon
signs; and the moving black dots of people.”
--from “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” by Jack Finney
Character
• Traits– Special qualities that define a character
• Direct characterization – a writer describes a
character’s traits explicitly.
vs.
• Indirect characterization – a writer lets us see a
character in action. We infer what the character is like.
• Motivation – A character’s reasons for behaving the
way he/she does. They come from a character’s goals
and desires. Ask, “What does this character want?
Types of Characters
• Protagonist- main character in the story; the one
who drives the action.
• Antagonist- the character who prevents the
protagonist from getting what he/she wants.
• Flat character- two-dimensional character with
only one or two key personality traits.
• Round character- dimensions of a person from
real life, with many traits and complexities.
• Stock character- a stereotype or one who fits
preconceived notions of a “type” (mad-scientist).
Inferences about Characters
• Inferences (intelligent guesses based on current
evidence and prior knowledge) about:
– Characters- Look at how they look, think, speak and
act as well as how others respond to the character.
Add your own prior knowledge about human nature
to decide what kinds of people these characters are.
– Motivation- Try to figure out WHY a character acts or
speaks in certain ways. You understand more about
a personality when you know why. This involves
inference from the clues the writer plants.
• Motivation questions:
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What does each character want?
What does each character want to avoid?
What conflicts do the characters face?
What happens as a result of these conflicts – how do the
characters change?
• Comparing/Contrasting characters- This helps to look
at the sources of the conflict that propels the story
forward and will deepen understanding of each
character’s role in the conflict.
Narrator/Point of View
• First-Person Narrator: a character in the story.
He/she uses I do describe events experienced first
hand. What we know is limited to what we are told.
We need to know if the narrator is reliable, and
often have to infer what we are not told directly.
• “I was hacking at a milky dandelion root when I heard an
engine idling. A small brown car, loaded down with boxes
and luggage, turned laboriously into the driveway. Through
the open window I heard a scrape as my father pushed aside
his footrest My mother’s window shade snapped up and she
peered outside, one hand on her tousled hair.”
– Lan Samantha Chang
Narrator/Point of View, cont.
• Omniscient Narrator- This narrator knows
EVERYTHING that is going on in the story.
He/She is all-knowing. This narrator doesn’t
participate in the story’s action, but can tell us
what every character thinks and feels. This
narrator uses the third-person pronoun he,
she, and they.
• “The frown on the bachelor’s face was deepening
to a scowl. He was a hard, unsympathetic man,
the aunt decided in her mind. . . .” -- Saki
Narrator/Point of View
• Third-person Limited Narrator- This narrator tells the story
using third-person pronouns he, she, and they. However,
the focus is on only one character. What we learn about
the story is limited to what this character feels and
perceives.
– “He reached into his shirt pocket and gave her two caramel
candies wrapped in gold foil. ‘For the children,’ he said. She
slipped the caramels into her purse but left the money. She
thanked him for the candy and walked out of the store.
She turned around and squinted at him over the top of her
glasses. Then the door slammed behind her and she was alone
on the sidewalk again and she realized that in all the years she
had been going to Joe Lundy’s store she had never once called
him by his name until now.” –Julie Otsuka
Voice
• Voice- No two people have the exact same
singing voice, just like no two writers have the
same distinctive use of language.
– Diction: choice of words
– Tone: the writers attitude toward the subject, the
characters or the audience.
Analyze Point of View
• Analyze Writer’s Purpose- Identifying the reason for
writing something will help to identify the voice used
to tell the story.
• Question- Ask questions to help you figure out the
story’s narrator. (Who is telling the story? Is the narrator a
story character or one outside the action? Is there one focus
or many?)
• Draw Conclusions- Interact with the story by putting
together information you have learned in order to
come to an understanding about the story as a whole.
Rely on your perception of what is happening. Find a
detail, make a connection to real life, then draw a
conclusion based on that information.
Symbolism
• Symbolism – Symbols are used to give objects,
events, settings, animals, or people a deeper
connection or association. It is anything with a
literal meaning, but also a deeper meaning.
– Ask: Is ___________________ a symbol for
something else?
• Is it an object? A character or an animal? An idea?
• Does it appear throughout the story?
• Could it stand for some idea or emotion beyond its literal
meaning?
Allegory
• Allegory- a type of story in which all the
characters symbolize certain vices and virtues.
– Fables: animal characters teach practical lessons
– Parables: everyday situations teach lessons about
ethics or morality.
• Often characters in an allegory have names
that describe what they symbolize.
Irony
• Irony is when someone says one thing but means
the opposite or when a situation or person turns
out to be the opposite of what we expect. It is
used to create uncertainty and shock.
– Verbal Irony – Someone says one thing and means the
opposite.
– Situational Irony – An occurrence that is not just
surprising, but is the opposite of what we expected
– Dramatic Irony – We know something a character in
the story doesn’t know. It creates anticipation and
suspense.
Skills to Analyze Symbolism and Irony
• Monitor your reading: make sure you pay
attention, question and re-read.
• Analyze details: Always ask WHY? and WHAT
DOES IT MEAN? Read for answers to these
questions. You can also compare and contrast
details with knowledge you already possess.
• Make generalizations: Make broad statements
based on details from the story.
Theme
• Theme: a broad idea, message, or moral of a
story. It may be about life, society, or human
nature. Themes often explore timeless and
universal ideas and are almost always implied
rather than stated explicitly.
• Ask: Why did the author write this? What am
I supposed to learn about the world around
me from reading this story? What did I learn
about human nature?