1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Elements of Fiction

2. Characters Static Character: one who does not change much in the course of a story Dynamic Character: changes as a result of the story’s events Flat Character: has only one or two traits and no depth Round Character: is like a real person, has many different character traits, which sometimes contradict one another.

3. With Your Partner List the characters you meet in the Alchemist Are they a static or dynamic character? Are they a round or flat character? Be prepared to prove your point.

4. Characterization Indirect Characterization- the reader has to use his/her own judgment to decide what a character is like, based on the evidence given to you by the writer Direct Characterization- the reader is told directly what the character is like by the writer

5. With Your Partner Give an example of direct characterization for Santiago. Find the quote to prove your point. What is an example of indirect characterization for Santiago? Find a quote that shows this.

6. Setting The setting of a story is the time and place in which the action occurs. – Past, Present, or Future –Day or Night –Place may be Real or Imaginary Etc.

7. With Your Partner - List the settings Santiago journeys to. - What time period does this story take place in? - How do you know?

8. Conflict Struggle or clash between opposing characters or opposing forces. –External Conflict: a character struggles against an outside force (another character/ society/ nature) –Internal Conflict: takes place entirely within the character’s mind. It’s a struggle between opposing needs or desires or emotions within a single person.

9. Theme Is the message of the story the writer presents through the characters and the plot. The theme is not usually stated.

10. Plot Is the series of events in a story Often follows a pattern of development made up of as many as five specific stages. –Exposition –Rising Action –Climax –Falling Action –Resolution

11. Exposition It is at the beginning of a story. It gives background information that the reader needs to know. It introduces the setting, the characters, and the conflict. Sometimes it tells what happened in the past.

12. Exposition Ask yourself: –Who are the characters? –What is the setting? –What is the conflict?

13. Rising Action During this part of the story, the conflict is obvious. Complications arise and suspense begins to build as the main characters struggle to resolve their problems.

14. Rising Action Ask yourself: –What makes the conflict obvious?

15. Climax It is the turning point of the story, that point at which the conflict is resolved. Moment of great emotional intensity or suspense in the plot.

16. Climax Ask yourself: –How was the conflict resolved?

17. Falling Action The effects of the climax are shown. The suspense is over, but the results of the decision or action that caused the climax are worked out.

18. Falling Action Ask yourself: –How are the effects of the climax shown?

19. Resolution The resolution tells how the struggle ends. It ties up any loose ends of the plot.

20. Resolution Ask yourself: –How does the story end? –How does it tie up loose ends?

21. Genres Fable: A short tale that illustrates a message or moral. Fables usually incorporate elements of non-reality, such as talking animals. –How is The Alchemist a fable?

22. Bildungsroman: A novel chronicling the intellectual, spiritual, or moral development of a young protagonist. –How is The Alchemist a bildungsroman?

23. Literary Devices Protagonist: The central or main character in a story around whom the plot centers. Who is the protagonist of The Alchemist?

24. Point of View Omniscient Point of View: The person telling the story knows everything there is to know about the characters and their problems.

25. First Person Point of View: One of the characters is actually the narrator telling the story, using the pronoun I.

26. Third Person Limited Point of View: The narrator, who plays no part in the story, zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of just one character. What point of view The Alchemist told in?

27. Character motivation: The fears or conflicts or needs that drive a character’s actions. What is Santiago’s motivation?

28. Foreshadowing: The use of hints or clues in a story to suggest what action is to come. Give an example of foreshadowing in The Alchemist.

29. Tone: Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character. Tone is conveyed through the writer’s choice of words and details. What is the tone of The Alchemist?

30. Symbol- A concrete object, person, or place that has a meaning in itself and also stands for something larger than itself. Give an example of a symbol in The Alchemist?

31. Irony: Contrast between –What is said and what is really meant (Verbal Irony) –What is expected to happen and what really happens (Situational Irony) –What appears to be true and what is really true [the audience know but the character doesn’t] (Dramatic Irony) –What is ironic about The Alchemist? –What type of irony is it?