1. Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program RP DP
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
RPDP.net

2. Created by Jill M. Leone Reading Specialist Copyright © 2007
Literary Awareness
Introduction to the Novel
Created by Jill M. Leone Reading Specialist Copyright © 2007
RPDP Secondary Literacy

3. Students will: elements of a novel. analyze and evaluate
Today's Objective
Students will:
identify various
elements of a novel.
analyze and evaluate
key literary elements.

4. Novels can open up new worlds.
They can take you to -
places you’ve never been
times long ago
times in the future
into the hearts and minds of others

5. Novels can do many things.
Keep you company
on a boring day
Make you laugh or cry
Help you understand
your own life through
the lives of others

6. usually divided into chapters relatively long and often complex plot
What is a novel?
Characteristics:
a fictional prose work
usually divided into chapters
relatively long and often complex plot
story traditionally develops through
the thoughts and actions of its
characters
Like the short story, a novel is essentially the product of a writer’s imagination. The most obvious difference between a novel and a short story is length. Because the novel is considerably longer, a novelist can develop a wider range of characters and a more complex plot.

7. Your basic purpose when reading a novel is -
To understand:
who is telling the story (point of view)
where and when the story takes place
who are the main characters
what the characters are like
what happens (plot)

8. When reading a novel -
You should also understand:
the author’s central idea or message (theme)
how the author expresses his or her ideas (style)

9. It's good to preview before reading.
Preview checklist:
the title and author
the front and back covers
summaries or excerpts from book reviews
information about author
introductory material – dedication
foreword, or introduction
chapter names and illustrations

10. Literary Element: Setting
Time and Place

11. Time

12. Place

13. Setting is the environment in which a story unfolds.
It includes –
the time and period in history
the place
the atmosphere
the clothing
the living conditions
the social climate

14. Understanding the Setting
A story can be set in an imaginary place, such as an enchanted castle, or a real place, such as New York or Africa.
The time can be the past, the present, or the future.

15. The setting of a story is always important.
Importance of Setting
The setting of a story is always important.
It influences the way characters act and think and all aspects of their lives.

16. Literary Element
Mood

17. Mood
Mood is the feeling, or atmosphere, that the writer creates for the reader.
The author can use the setting to create a mood, which is happy, sad, exciting, or boring.

18. As you read a novel, pay attention to how the setting affects the
mood of the story
and also how it affects
the lives of the characters.

19. Narrator's Point of View
Literary Element
Narrator's Point of View

20. Literary Element: Point of View The narrator is your guide.
The narrative perspective from which events in a story or novel are told
The narrator is your guide.

21. Literary Element: Point of View
When you determine who is telling the story,
you’ve discovered the narrative point of view.
This is important because the narrator controls:
what and how much is told
the kind of information given to the reader
even the shape of the work itself

22. First Person Point of View
This means that the narrator –
is a character in the story
describes the action in his
or her own words
What’s shown is limited to the
character's observations and
thoughts.

23. Third Person Point of View
Events and characters described
by a character outside the action
Third person limited point of view:
The narrator tells the story from the
perspective of only one character.
The reader only learns what this
person feels and experiences.

24. Third Person Omniscient Point of View
Narrator is all-knowing
Can see into the mind of
more than one character
Gives reader access to all characters

25. Character Development
Literary Element
Character Development

26. Literary Element: Character Development
These are the people, animals, or natural forces represented as persons in a novel.

27. Authors describe them carefully. You learn - how they look
Literary Element: Character Development
Authors describe them carefully.
You learn -
how they look
what kind of people they are
how they act in different situations
how they change during the story
To understand a story, you must understand the people in it.

28. Main characters Minor characters Static characters Dynamic characters
Types of Characters
Main characters
Minor characters
Static characters
Dynamic characters

29. Main characters - characters who the story revolves around the most.
Minor characters - interact with the main characters and help move the story along.
Static characters - stay the same over the entire course of the story, even though their situation may change.
Dynamic characters - evolve as individuals, learning from their experiences and growing emotionally.

30. The main character is the most important character.
The action of the plot and main conflict revolve around him or her.

31. Literary Element: Protagonist
The main character or hero in a narrative or drama, usually the one with whom the audience identifies
Often referred to as
“the good guy”

32. Literary Element: Antagonist
The person, thing, or force that works against the protagonist
Can be –
another character
a family
a society
a force of nature
a force within the main character

33. Clues about Characters
The way the author develops a character is called characterization.
Pay attention to these clues from the author:
Physical appearance and personality
Speech, thoughts, feelings, and actions
Interactions with other characters
Direct comments by the author

34. Literary Element
Plot

35. Literary Element: Plot
The plot is the sequence of events or what happens in a story.
Many plots contain a central problem – something that goes wrong.

36. The characters also usually have a goal to achieve.
Novels and short stories must have conflict.
The characters also usually have a goal to achieve.
The struggle to achieve this goal or solve the problem is the conflict.
Without conflict there would be no story. 

37. Literary Element: Conflict
There are different types of conflicts in a story.
External Forces:
Man vs. man - another individual
or group of individuals 
Man vs. nature - something in the environment

38. Literary Element: Conflict
External Forces:
Man vs. fate – a problem that
seems uncontrollable
Internal Forces:
Man vs. self – a physical, mental
or moral struggle faced by the
central character

39. Conflict
By the end of a story, the character facing the conflict succeeds or fails.
To identify the conflict, try to find the events that caused the problem.

40. Conflict and Resolution
Pay attention to how a story ends.
Many stories end by
resolving their conflicts.
The way a problem is fixed
or solved is the resolution.

41. Plots usually progress through stages: Exposition Rising Action Climax
Parts of a Plot
Plots usually progress
through stages:
Exposition
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution

42. Parts of a Plot
The exposition provides important background information and introduces the setting, characters, and conflict.
During the rising action, the conflict becomes more intense and suspense builds as the main characters struggle to resolve their problem.

43. Parts of a Plot The climax is the turning point
in the plot when the outcome of the
conflict becomes clear, usually resulting in a change in the characters or a
solution to the conflict.
After the climax, the falling action
occurs and the conflict is -
or about to be - settled.

44. The resolution is the ending.
Parts of a Plot
The resolution is the ending.
The story’s central problem is finally solved, leaving the reader with a sense of completion, although the main character may not feel the same way.

45. Plot Diagram Climax Rising Action Falling Action Resolution Exposition
It’s like a map that tells you where you are in the action of the novel.
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action
Resolution
Exposition

46. Literary Element
Tone and Style

47. Literary Element: Tone These are just a few possibilities.
Tone expresses a writer’s attitude.
The tone of a literary work may be one of:
anger
approval
joy
sadness
humor
These are just a few possibilities.

48. Writer's Style
Writer’s style involves these elements:
Word choice
Tone
Sentence structure and length
Literary devices, such as figurative language, symbols, dialogue, and imagery

49. Literary Devices
Imagery is the use of words and phrases that create pictures in the reader’s mind.
Details that appeal to your senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch – make the writing come alive.

50. Try to interpret figurative language as you read.
Literary Devices
Figurative Language –
A special way of using words
Not meant to be taken literally
Creates a picture in the minds
of the reader
Often involves a comparison
Try to interpret figurative language as you read.

51. Pay careful attention to the language and details a writers chooses.
Word Choice and Tone
Pay careful attention to the language and details a writers chooses.
They will give you clues about the writer’s tone.

52. Literary Element: Theme
Lesson for Life

53. Literary Element: Theme
This is the message about life from the author to the reader.
It is like a lesson for life, something you can learn from the story and apply to other life situations.

54. Understanding the Theme
The author usually doesn’t tell you
the theme directly.
You must figure it out for yourself by
the way the characters act and react.
Many novels have more than one
theme, some major and some minor.

55. When Reading Fiction
You understand your life through the lives of others.
Use your imagination to form mental images.
Read for pleasure.
Read more quickly.
“Big picture” is more important than details.
Easier to remember than nonfiction.

56. Good readers anticipate what they’ll be reading before they get to it.
Connect to Life
Good readers anticipate what they’ll be reading before they get to it.
Our background or prior knowledge enables us to make these predictions.
It’s exciting to make predictions and then confirm how accurate we’ve been later on throughout a novel.

57. Practice Question Which of the following provides important
background information and introduces the
setting, characters, and conflict?
climax
exposition
rising action
resolution
How did you do?

58. Practice Question Which of the following is considered an
internal force in the conflict of a novel?
man vs. man
man vs. nature
man vs. self
man vs. fate
How did you do?

59. The main character or hero in a novel and
Practice Question
The main character or hero in a novel and
usually the one with whom the audience
identifies is the –
antagonist
protagonist
narrator
opponent
How did you do?

60. narrator’s point of view, the characters, the conflict,
Next time you open up
a novel, think about the
narrator’s point of view,
the characters, the conflict,
the theme, and the writer’s
style and techniques.
You’ll see how they
all fit together and can open
up whole new worlds to you,
the reader.

61. Key Terms We Discussed
Setting
Mood
Narrator’s Point of View
Character Development
Parts of a Plot
Tone and Style
Theme

62. Copyright © 2007 by Jill M. Leone
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Copyright © 2007 by Jill M. Leone