Literary elements

1. Character 2. Plot 3. Figure of speech 4. Conflict 5. Setting 6. Theme

Character

Character

can be revealed through the character's actions, speech, and appearance. It also can be revealed by the comments of other characters and of the author.

Types of characters

that appear in many stories: • The

protagonist

is the central character (person, animal, or personified object) in the plot's conflict.  The

antagonist

is the force in conflict with the protagonist. It may be society, nature, or fate, as well as another person. It can also be the protagonist's own self, if he or she has an internal conflict.

Plot

•

Plot

is the sequence of events which involves the characters in conflict. It is often written in chronological order.

Most plots have certain common elements:  A story commonly begins with

exposition

characters.

, an explanation of the situation and the condition of the  A plot usually continues with a

problem

which the

protagonist

must meet or solve. During the story, tension is built through a series of complications, incidents which either help or hinder the protagonist in finding a solution. This is the

rising action

.

• The

climax

is the peak or turning point of the action; at this point we know the

outcome

. • The

denouement

or

falling action

follows. It gives any necessary explanation and ends with resolution, the sense that at the end of the story, it is complete.

The order of the sequence of events looks like this: 1. complicating incident 2. rising action 3. climax 4. falling action 5. outcome

The

ending

of the story may be either open or closed:  In a

closed ending

, the most usual one in children's books, readers feel that they know what will happen. The various parts of the plot are tied together satisfactorily, and the reader feels a sense of completion.

 In an

open ending

, readers must draw their own conclusions; they do not know what will happen.

-

Figures of speech

Other elements which may be found in plots include:

•

Foreshadowing

about what will happen later in the story. is the planting of hints • A

flashback

narrates an event that took place

before

occurs when the author the current time of the story.

Conflict

-

Conflict

is the struggle between the protagonist and an opposing force. -

Several types of conflict may be present in any one story.

There are several types of conflict:



Character vs character:

the protagonist against someone else. •

Character vs society:

happens when the protagonist is in conflict with the values of his or her society.

•

Character vs nature:

takes place when the protagonist is threatened by an element of nature. •

Character vs self :

occurs when the protagonist struggles within himself or herself. The protagonist is pulled by two courses of action or by differing emotions.

Setting

•

Setting

includes the place and the time period in which the story takes place.

Theme



Theme

is the underlying meaning of the story, a universal truth, a significant statement the story is making about society, human nature, or the human condition.



Themes

must be clearly stated; they are expressible in the form of a sentence. One word is usually not enough. To say that a book's theme is "friendship" is not clear. It may mean, "Friends are a person's most valuable possession." It may also mean, "Friends can never be trusted if their own interests are opposed to yours."