Elements of Fiction. Web. 6 Sept. 2011. This presentation has been adapted from: http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/faculty/~wjefjac/public_html/quests/elementoffiction.ppt Elements of Fiction. Web. 6 Sept. 2011.
Elements of Fiction Setting Character Plot Point of View Theme Symbolism
Plot The series of events and actions that takes place in a story. Climax Denouement Falling Action Rising Action Beginning Expositions End Resolution
Plot Line Climax: The turning point. The most intense moment (either mentally or in action). Rising Action: the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax. Falling Action: all of the action which follows the Climax. Exposition: The start of the story. The way things are before the action starts. Resolution: The conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads.
Setting the time, place and period in which the action takes place. It includes The geographical location The socio-economic characteristics of the location The time period The specific location -building, room, etc.
Setting can establish the mood and atmosphere of a work. It Was a Dark and Stormy Night… Snoopy "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." A Tale of Two Cities
Characters a fictional person in a story, and the moral, dispositional, and behavioural qualities of that fictional person. Protagonist The main character in a literary work. Antagonist The character who opposes the protagonist.
Types of Characters The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as people) appearing in a literary work. Round Character: convincing, true to life and have human character traits. Flat Character: stereotyped, shallow, often symbolic. They have one or two personality traits. Dynamic Character: undergoes some type of change in story because of something that happens to them. Static Character: does not change in the course of the story
Conflict Types of Conflict Conflict Word Bank Struggles with Human vs Human Human vs Nature Human vs Society Human vs Self Conflict Word Bank Struggles with Tension Complication Versus Against Complicated by
Point of View: The perspective from which the story is told Point of View: The perspective from which the story is told. (Who is telling the story?) Omniscient Point of View: The narrator tells the story with knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of more than one, or all characters. Also called “All knowing” narrative. Limited Omniscient (Third Person Narrative): The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc.). We hear the thoughts and feelings of only one character as the character reveals them to us. The narrator is limited to knowing the thoughts and feelings of one character and therefore so are we. First Person: Story is told from point of view of one of the characters who uses the first person pronoun “I.”
The Theme of a piece of fiction is its central idea The Theme of a piece of fiction is its central idea. It usually contains some insight into the Human condition.
Symbolism A symbol represents an idea, quality, or concept larger than itself. A Journey can symbolize life. Water may represent a new beginning. Black can represent evil or death. A lion could be a symbol of courage.