Story Literary Elements Some basics that every good story must have ….

Essential Questions  What are the elements of literature?  How does setting effect a story?  Types of Conflict  What is mood?  What is tone?  Theme!  What is perspective (POV)?  What is purpose?

Every story needs characters People Animals Or Creatures

The protagonist is the “good guy”

The antagonist is the “bad guy” or force

Direct and Indirect Characterization  Direct-when an author tells us about the character  Indirect-what we INFER about the character  Things to focus on:  Physical appearance/Personality  Background/personal history  Motivation  Relationships  Conflict  Does character change?

Great stories have a conflict Man vs. Man Man vs. NatureMan vs. Society Man vs. Himself Man vs. Machine

A hint about what will happen next is called foreshadowing For example, if you hear this: Then you know someone’s about to get eaten!

The time and place of the story is the setting-place and time

How does Setting Affect the Story? Lets start with change in place -There are different laws in different countries. For example: A story takes place in the U.S. with a 16 year old getting his/her driver’s license. If the story were moved to Canada it would have to change to an 18 year old because the driving age is 18 in Canada. This would change the story.

Setting Affect Continued…  What is The Hunger Games took place in 1492? The year 1? In Asia?  What would be different if The Westing Game was set in 2015? In the desert?

The short version:  Setting effects HOW the story plays out –Example: Country vs. City  How characters look, act, and behave –Example: Women in 1900 vs Now  And can change the mood/ have symbolism

The climax is the most exciting part!!

The point of view is the perspective of the story “That rotten wolf tried to eat us!!!!” “I was framed! I just wanted to borrow a cup of sugar!”

There are a few types of POV  1 st person- I-told from one person’s POV  3 rd person-Told from the outside –Limited: Can only show the reader what is being said and done. –Omniscient: The narrator knows and tells the readers what characters are thinking or feeling (things that are not outwardly expressed)

An Author’s Purpose  Why the author wrote the piece –IT is as easy as P.I.E.as P.I.E Persuade Inform Entertain

Tone  Just like when you speak you have a tone, authors’ have a tone.  Tone is the attitude the author has or how the author is speaking –Sarcastic –Funny –Serious Example: Frozen vs. FrozenFrozen

How to find Tone  What sort of music would be playing in the background?  As the definition above indicates, writers use words to set the tone. Take a look at the descriptions in your story. Try to visualize the scene and hear the characters voices.

Example of Tone Gentlemen: I received your letter today by post, in regard to the ransom you ask for the return of my son. I think you are a little high in your demands, and I hereby make you a counter proposition, which I am inclined to believe you will accept. You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, I agree to take him off your hands. You had better come at night, for the neighbors believe he is lost, and I couldn’t be responsible for what they would do to anyone they saw bringing him back. Very respectfully, EBENEZER DORSET

Would it Change if I told you…  This letter was written by the boy’s father after the reader already knows what a pain the little boy is ( he tries to scalp one of his captors while pretending to be an Indian).  DOES THIS CHANGE THE TONE?

Tone Words  Bitter  Serious  Witty  Playful  Tender  Sympathetic  Haunting  Mysterious  Suspenseful Tasteful/distasteful Nonchalant Angry Attached/Detached Innocent Poignant Compassionate Humorous Gory

Mood  Mood is the overall atmosphere of a piece of literature  The mood is created by the setting, the characters, and their actions

Identifying Mood  Identifying the mood of a piece of writing will depend on the number of descriptive words you know to answer the question:  How did this paragraph, this passage, this story make the character or you feel?

Example During the holidays, my mother's house glittered with decorations and hummed with preparations. We ate cookies and drank cider while we helped her wrap bright packages and trim the tree. We felt warm and excited, listening to Christmas carols and even singing along sometimes. We would tease each other about our terrible voices and then sing even louder.

Mood Words  Cheerful  Relieved  Gloomy  Bleak  Uncertain  Bittersweet  Relaxed  Indolent  Hopeless

THEME REVIEW  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

Whether you’re the reader, or the writer, a great story includes all these literary elements!!! conflict setting point of view climax characters protagonist antagonist foreshadowing