UNIT 1 HONORS 9 LECTURE NOTES Plot, Setting, & Characterization

Review of Plot Plot  Sequence of related events that make a story hang together.  Includes characters who experience some conflict or problem.  Details are filled in before, during and after the problem takes place.  The story takes place within a specific span of time. A plot has five basic parts:  Exposition  Rising Action  Climax  Falling Action  Resolution

Parts of a Plot Exposition  Also called the Basic Situation  Opening / Introduction  Introduces a main character who wants something very much and who encounters a problem or conflict while trying to get it.  Rising Action  Otherwise known as “the complication” › The writer develops the elements of conflict further, and new complications or problems arise.

Parts of a Plot Climax  High point of the plot  The most exciting or suspenseful moment in the story  The climax is when something happens that decides the outcome of the conflict. Falling Action  The after-effect of the climax  The story just begins to wind down; however, the problems are not necessarily solved yet. Resolution  Sometimes called the denouement  The problems are resolved and the story ends.

Plot Timing Sequence of events in a plot  Most common  Chronological Order – start at the beginning and tell the story in the order that it happened  However…  Other techniques can be used to manipulate time and control the reader’s feelings.  These other techniques may help create suspense or dramatize a moment as well. Slowing time down can help accomplish this.

Plot Timing Other techniques used to manipulate time  Flashback – the present action is interrupted with a scene or scenes from the past  Can reveal the past life of a character or explain why someone is in a current situation  Flash-forward – visiting a character’s future  Foreshadowing – a writer plants clues that hint at something that will happen later in the plot

Review of Setting  Setting › Where and when a story takes place › Is it possible for an interesting story to have no setting … no indication of where or when the action takes place?  Yes!  If the characters and situations are strong enough, they will hold our attention in empty space, just as a play presented on a bare stage could hold our interest.

The Importance of Setting In real life, events occur somewhere… so, fiction specifies a setting most of the time. Think of how crucial setting would be in:  a story about a prisoner  a story about a castaway on the Pacific  a story about a colony on Mars  What details would you need in the setting to make each of the above stories a success?

Setting, Mood, and Tone Setting can contribute to a story’s emotional effect.  Mood – the story’s atmosphere  gloomy, cheerful, etc.  A setting in the spring can give a sense of hope or rebirth. / A setting in the winter can give a sense of death.  Tone – the writer’s attitude toward a subject or character (like a tone of voice)  mocking, tender, joyful, vindictive, etc.  Setting details can help to reveal the tone.

Setting and Images To create a believable setting or one that can make us feel joy, mystery, or fear, the writer must select the right details or images. Images - words or phrases that call forth a response from our senses (sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste). When the writer supplies a few right images, the reader will fill in the rest through their imagination.

Setting, Character, and Conflict Setting can help reveal character.  Characters affect environment  If the author wishes to portray an “untidy” character, he/she may show us a setting from the mess in their room. Sometimes, the setting can provide the main conflict.  A group of tourists get lost in the Arctic or in the jungle = a fight for survival.

A Story and its Characters A good story…  tells us more about ourselves – about how human beings feel and behave in any situation  For example…we can imagine how if feels to be a woman who has lived all her life on the prairie … or, how it feels to be a soldier lying wounded on a battlefield.  We connect mentally and emotionally with others in an attempt to understand them completely. In the end, we may sympathize or we may not. Characters  The story’s actors  Influence of characters on readers When characters in a story behave in convincing ways, then we (the reader) believe in them, leading us to potentially love them or even hate them. Characterization  Method used by a writer to develop a character

Creating a Character How do writers create characters?  Writers must decide upon the traits (special qualities) they want their characters to possess.  Writers reveal the characters traits directly or indirectly.  Direct characterization – a writer simply tells us directly what the character is like. “Danielle was the most serious person in the school. She longed for fun but was afraid of disappointing her very serious aunt.”  Indirect characterization – a writer does not reveal traits directly. The reader my have to infer based on evidence. The writer reveals a characters’ traits in five unique ways: Appearance Dialogue Private Thoughts Actions Effects

Indirect Characterization Revealing a characters’ traits through appearance:  “Danielle, tall and thin, wore her mouse-brown hair pulled tightly back into a ponytail. She always dressed in a gray skirt and blouse and never wore jewelry.”  This description of her appearance reveals a lot about Danielle. We imagine her as a quiet, serious, and perhaps shy person. Revealing a characters’ traits through dialogue:  “Hey, Danielle, want to come with us to the movies tonight?” Jim asked.  “Oh no,” Danielle sighed. “My aunt would never allow it. She says I have to work on my research paper all weekend.”  We learn even more by listening to her speak to other characters. She is clearly studious, serious, and afraid of upsetting her aunt.

Indirect Characterization Revealing a characters’ traits through private thoughts:  “Why can’t I be like the other kids?” Danielle moped. She pressed her nose against the window. “I’d like to be out there with everybody else – laughing, skating and going to movies, just belonging.”  We learn from these private thoughts how lonely and isolated Danielle feels not being able to have fun with friends.  This technique is especially effective if the narrator is the main character – discovering what the main character wants, fears, worries about, etc. It’s like we are eavesdropping on them throughout the story.

Indirect Characterization Revealing characters’ traits through actions:  That afternoon, John ran to catch up to Danielle as she walked home. “Hey,” he called excitedly and tapped her on the shoulder. She flinched – then looked away, blushing.  By simply reading or observing these actions, we receive more evidence that Danielle is shy, slightly isolated, and lonely. She clearly is afraid of talking to others. Revealing characters’ traits through effects:  John, puzzled, wondered why Danielle was so upset by his friendly gesture.  This reveals that Danielle’s actions have affected others around her. In this case, it’s John that is also now affected and slightly upset.

Types of Characters Flat Character  Two-dimensional with only one or two key personality traits  Extremely stubborn Round Character  Three-dimensional qualities of real life people with many traits and complexities  Many times, writers include flat characters instead because too many round characters can be distracting. Stock Character  Fits our preconceived notions about a “stereotype”  As soon as we encounter a well known trait of theirs, we can imagine the rest of their personality on our own  The mad scientist / cruel-looking villain twirling his waxed mustache  Unlike real people... due to the fact that real people are often complex and unpredictable

Types of Characters Static Character  Does not change during the course of the story  Are exactly the same at the beginning of the story and they are at the end  Almost always subordinate characters Dynamic Character  This character changes in some important way as a result of the story’s action.  Gained a new understanding, made an important decision, or taken crucial action  The change must be believable, not some miraculous, magic-wand transformation that happens and neatly wraps up the plot.  The change will provide a key to understanding the character and lend a clue to the story’s theme (meaning).  Capable of growing, learning or changing. The protagonist is almost always dynamic.

Types of Characters Protagonist  the main character that the story is focused on  Often realistic, complicated human beings with just enough strengths, weaknesses and contradictions to remind us of ourselves.  Propels a story’s plot by wanting something and then setting out to get it done. Antagonist  character or force that blocks the protagonist from achieving his/her goal.  Not necessarily evil Protagonists and antagonists do not make up the whole story. A story will contain other subordinate characters (neighbors, family members or passing strangers) may help reveal the character of the protagonist or antagonist and may help develop the story’s conflict.

Character Interactions Conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist is what hooks the reader’s interest, creates suspense and moves along most stories  Review:  External conflict – struggle between the protagonist and some outside force (possible another character, outside force, society or a force of nature) Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. Society  Internal conflict – protagonist wrestles with his/her own fear or worry or the need to make a decision Man vs. Self

Character Interactions Motivations  what makes the character tick – the needs, reasons or conflicts that drive a character Conflict and Motivation work together!  When a character is motivated to fulfill a certain desire and is prevented from doing to, conflict occurs.  Conflict often arises when people are strongly motivated to influence one another

Character Interactions in Poetry or Drama Dramatic Monologue  Found in poetry  Features a single character who addresses one or more silent listeners, reflecting on a specific problem or situation.  From what this character says and the way it is said, we can infer his or her personality traits. Soliloquy  Found in a play  A character speaks his or her thoughts aloud while alone on stage – often to the audience  Shakespeare’s plays are filled with soliloquies.