Transcript Literary Elements

Literary Elements
What parts make up a story?
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5 most important elements of Literature
Setting
Characters
Plot
Conflict
Theme
Setting
Time and plSeeedfgdflace where the action occurs
Details that describe:
 Furniture
 Scenery
 Customs
 Transportation
 Clothing
 Dialects
 Weather
 Time of day
 Time of year
What makes up Setting
Location
Era
Life
Place
Time
Setting
Physical
Day
Atmosphere
Mood
History
Feelings
Word
Choice
Weather
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Example
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Glee
Where and when does this take place?
City of Ember
Where and when does this take place?
Twilight
Where and when does this take place?
Why is it important?
 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
We left the home place behind, mile
by slow mile, heading for the mountains,
across the prairie where the wind blew
forever.
At first there were four of us with
one horse wagon and its skimpy load. Pa
and I walked, because I was a big boy of
eleven. My two little sisters romped and
trotted until they got tired and had to be
boosted up to the wagon bed.
That was no covered Conestoga, like
Pa’s folks came West in, but just an old
farm wagon, drawn by one weary horse,
creaking and rumbling westward to the
mountains, toward the little woods town
where Pa thought he had an old uncle who
owned a little two-bit sawmill.
Taken from “The Day the Sun Came Out” by D. Johnson
Characters
People or animals
Major characters
Minor characters
Round characters (Dynamic)
Flat characters (Static)
Types of Characters
• A Dynamic Character changes as a result of the
events of the story.
• A Static Character changes very little or not at
all through the literary work.
• A character’s motivation is any force (i.e.: love,
fear, jealousy) that drives the character to behave
in a particular way.
Types Cont.
• A character can be a
protagonist/antagonist - the main
character or the person who creates
a problem for the main character
• Never think of it as being the good
guy/ bad guy.
Characters Cont.
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
by describing what the character looks like, by
telling what the character says and does, and by
what other characters say about and do in
response to the character.
Example:
…And
I don’t 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
I’m a little girl with skinny arms and a
squeaky voice, which is how I got the name
Squeaky.
From “Raymond’s Run” by T. Bambara
“That
Ed Johnson,”
said
Indirect
Characterization
Anderson, watching the old mechanic
scratch his head in confusion as the
sales rep explained Dralco’s newest
engine performance diagnostic
computer. “He hasn’t got a clue about
modern electronics. Give him a good
set of tools and a stack of yellowing
manuals with a carburetor needing
repair, and he’d be happy as a hungry
frog in a fly-field.”
Types of Characters
Fully
Developed
Friends
Relativ es
Main
Minor
Not Fully
Developed
Character
Protagonist
Flat
Co-Main
Antagonist
Enemy
Character Makeup
Physical appearance of character
Personality
Background/personal history
Motivation
Relationships
Conflict
Does character change?
Plot
Plot is a series of events in a
story.
An event is any conflict that
has a resolution in a story.
Disney’s Cinderella
Example
What’s the first conflict?
Cinderella’s father dies.
What’s the resolution?
Her step mother becomes her guardian
What’s the second conflict?
Her step mother and step sisters are mean.
What’s the resolution?
She makes friends with mice.
Plot Chart
Climax
Exposition
Resolution
Inciting incident/
Opening situation
Denouement
If you are lucky
Parts of a Plot
 Exposition: Introduction of characters and
setting of a story.
Inciting incident – event that gives rise to
conflict (opening situation)
Rising Action- events that occur as result of
central conflict
Climax- highest point of interest or
suspense of story
Resolution- when conflict ends
Denouement- To wrap up all loose ends. All
problems are solved or at least you know
the result.
Wait there’s more:
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
Conflict
Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces
Every plot must contain some kind of conflict
Stories can have more than one conflict
Conflicts can be external or internal
External conflict- outside force may be person,
group, animal, nature, or a nonhuman obstacle
Internal conflict- takes place in a character’s mind
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
May be stated directly or implied
Interpretation uncovers the theme
EXAMPLE
What are some of the themes of The
Pirates of the Caribbean?
Good will always triumph over
evil.
Don’t judge a person before you
get to know him or her.
Love motivates some people to
take risks.