Literary Elements What critical parts make up a story?

Elements of a Short Story  Setting  Characters  Plot  Conflict  Theme  Resolution  Denouement

SettingSetting Details that describe: Furniture Furniture Scenery Scenery Customs Customs Transportation Transportation Clothing Clothing Dialects Dialects Weather Weather Time of day Time of day Time of year Time of year Time and place where the action occurs.

Types of Characters  People or animals  Major characters  Minor characters  Round characters  Flat characters

Factors in Analyzing Characters  Personality  Background/personal history  Motivation  Relationships  Conflict  Does character change?  Physical appearance of character

Plot Plot is what happens and how it happens in a narrative. It is the sequence of events. A narrative is any work that tells a story, such as a short story, a novel, a drama, or a narrative poem.

Parts of a Plot  Exposition- introduces the setting and characters, including the inciting incident – an event that gives rise to conflict (opening)  Rising action- events that occur as result of central conflict (development)  Climax- highest point of interest or suspense of story  Falling action-events that occur as a result of the climax, leading to the end of conflict  Resolution- when conflict ends (conclusion)  Denouement- when characters go back to their life before the conflict

Plot Diagram Inciting incident/ Opening situation Exposition Development/ Rising Action Climax Falling action Resolution/ Denouement

Special Techniques of Plot  Suspense- excitement or tension  Foreshadowing- hint or clue about what will happen in story  Flashback- interrupts the normal sequence of events to tell about something that happened in the past  Surprise Ending- conclusion that reader does not expect

Conflict Conflict  Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces  Every plot must contain some kind of conflict  Stories can have more than one conflict  Conflicts can be external or internal External conflict- outside force may be person, group, animal, nature, or a nonhuman obstacle External conflict- outside force may be person, group, animal, nature, or a nonhuman obstacle Internal conflict- takes place in a character’s mind Internal conflict- takes place in a character’s mind

6 Kinds of Conflict 1) Man vs. Man (external) - The leading character struggles against other characters, which can be personified animals (Rikki-Tikki-Tavi) 2) Man vs. Supernatural (classical) - The leading character struggles against supernatural forces or higher powers (Harry Potter) 3) Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people (Anne Frank)

6 Kinds of Conflict (continued) 4) Man vs. Himself (internal) - The leading character struggles with himself deciding what to think or do (A Beautiful Mind) 5) Man vs. Nature- (external) The leading character struggles against the elements of nature (Hatchet) 5) Man vs. Machine- (external) The leading character struggles against a machine or new technology ( I, Robot)

Theme  A central message, concern, or insight into life expressed through a literary work-the “moral” of the story  Can be expressed by one or two sentence statement about human beings or about life –teaches a lesson  May be stated directly or implied  Interpretation uncovers the theme

Look for Theme Theme is often stated in a character’s dialogue, so look for messages in the dialogue Theme is often restated many times, so look for messages that are repeated Theme is often found in the conclusion, so look for messages at the end of the story

Resolution The resolution is an end to the conflict- it is the SOLUTION to the problem in the story. The resolution comes after the climax. Depending on the type of conflict, the falling action will lead to the end. Examples- the battle is over, the war is won, a decision has been made, a character survives or dies…

Denouement The resolution leads to the denouement. The French word dénouement is derived from the Old French word denoer, "to untie", and from nodus, Latin for "knot." Simply put, dénouement is the unraveling or untying of the complexities of a plot. In other words, it is an outcome or how something is solved to end a story. Some works have no dénouement, often because of a quick or surprise ending

Quiz 1. What literary element describes the time and place of a story? 2. What literary element teaches a ‘moral’ or lesson? 3. What is the sequence of events? 4. What is a conflict? 5. When the problem is solved, we have come to the _____ of the story.

Quiz 1. What literary element describes the time and place of a story? SETTING 2. What literary element teaches a ‘moral’ or lesson? THEME 3. What is the sequence of events? PLOT 4. What is a conflict? A PROBLEM 5. When the problem is solved, we have come to the _____ of the story. RESOLUTION