The Elements of Fiction Transcribed (and adapted) from flash presentation on the NCTE ReadWriteThink Website: elements/overview/

Setting  Setting is the place where the story takes place. Setting includes the following: The geographical location (for example, Wyoming, London, Cairo, Vancouver) The time period (for example, 1865, during WWII, today) The socio-economic characteristics of the location (for example, wealthy suburbs, Depression dustbowl) The specific building, room, and so forth (for example, a prep school, a log cabin, a bus, a military base)

Setting  Can be used to tell readers about the characters: “That evening T.J. smelled the air, his nostrils dilating with the odor of the earth under his feet. ‘It’s spring,’ he said, and there was a gladness rising in his voice that filled us with the same feeling. ‘It’s mighty late for it, but it’s spring’…We were all sniffing the air, too, trying to smell it the way that T.J. did, and I can still remember the sweet odor of the earth under our feet. It was the first time in my life that spring and spring earth had meant anything to me. -- “Antaeus” by Bordon Deal

Setting  Can be used to set the atmosphere for the story: “During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country.” -- “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe

Characters  The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as people) appearing in a literary work. Characters can be “round” or “flat” based on how complex they are. Characters can also be “dynamic” or “static” based on how much they change during a story.

Characters  Characters can be “round” or “flat”: Round Characters are convincing, true to life. They have many different and sometimes even contradictory personality traits. Flat Characters are stereotyped*, shallow**, and often symbolic. * Here “sterotyped” – it doesn’t mean a racial or ethnic (or other kind) of stereotype—it only means a character that is recycled from old standard character types (ex. the snooty butler, the grouchy older neighbor, the spoiled child). ** Also, “shallow” doesn’t mean a character who cares only about appearances. It means a character without a lot of depth or detail provided by the writer.

Characters  Characters can be “dynamic” or “static”: Dynamic Characters undergo some type of change or development in story, often because of something that happens to them. Static Characters do not change in the course of the story.

Characters  Protagonist The main character in a literary work. The character who is faced with the conflict of the story. Example: Cinderella  Antagonist The character (or characters) who opposes the protagonist. Example: Wicked Stepmothers

Characters  Characterization The way a writer uses description, dialog, actions, and other methods to convey a character’s personality.  Characterization can be either: Direct Characterization Indirect Characterization

Methods of Characterization  Direct Characterization The author develops the personality of a character by direct statements. “Jack had been in basic training in Florida and Dottie was there on vacation with her parents. They’d met on the beach and struck up a conversation. Dottie was the talker, the outgoing one—the extrovert. Jack was too shy around girls to say much at all.” -- “Furlough – 1944” by Harry Mazer

Methods of Characterization  Indirect characterization Revealing the character’s personality through  The character’s thoughts, words, and actions  The comments of other characters  The character’s physical appearance

Methods of Characterization  Indirect Characterization through THOUGHTS, WORDS, or ACTIONS “Moonbeam closed his eyes and pretended to sleep the rest of the way to Bamfield. He couldn’t believe what he had gotten himself into. How had this happened? He’d never held a gun in his life, much less gone hunting for animals.” -- “Moonbeam Dawson and The Killer Bear” by Jean Okimoto

Methods of Characterization  Indirect Characterization through OTHER CHARACTERS’ WORDS “At first we were glad that Miss Emily would have an interest, because the ladies all said, ‘Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of [marrying] a Northerner, a day laborer.’" -- “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

Methods of Characterization  Indirect Characterization through APPEARANCE “Miss Kenney was young and blonde and bouncy and had a boyfriend who picked her up after school in a blue Camero.” -- “Here There Be Tygers” by Stephen King

Plot  Plot is the literary element that describes the structure of a story. It shows arrangement of events and actions within a story. beginningendmiddle ExpositionResolution Climax Rising action Falling action/ Denouement  FREYTAG’S PYRAMID

Plot Components

Plot Requires Conflict  Conflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story.  Without conflict, there is no plot.

Plot: Types of Conflict  Human Vs. Human  Human Vs. Nature  Human Vs. Self  Human Vs. Society  Human Vs. Fate

Point of View  The perspective from which the story is told. Who is telling the story? How do we know that is happening?  Three main kinds of Point of View: Third Person Omniscient Third Person Limited First Person

Point of View  Third Person Omniscient Point of View The narrator has a “god-like” view on the events of the story—sees all things and can talk about any character’s thoughts and feelings. Sometime sounds like “the author is telling the story directly” “She was a tall, erect woman with dark eyebrows, stately and dignified and, as she said of herself, intellectual. [H]er husband…privately considered her of limited intelligence, narrow-minded, dowdy, was afraid of her, and did not like to be at home.” “The Lady with the Pet Dog” by Anton Chekhov

Point of View  Third Person Limited Point of View The narrator is someone outside the story telling the reader about the events. The narrator tells the story from the viewpoint of one character, focusing on that character’s thoughts and feelings. “The all laughed, and while the were laughing, the quiet boy moved his bare foot on the sidewalk and merely touched, brushed against a number of red ants that were scurrying about on the sidewalk. Secretly, his eyes shining, while his parents chatted with the old man, he saw the ants hesitate, quiver, and lie still on the cement. He sensed they were cold now.” -- “Fever Dream” by Ray Bradbury

Point of View  First Person Point of View Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters. Uses the first personal pronoun “I” “The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I give utterance to a threat.” -- “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe

Theme  Theme is the central idea or central message of the story. It usually contains some insight into the human condition— telling something about humans and life.  The theme can be stated directly or implied by the events and actions of the story.  The theme is not always the same as the “moral of the story.” It doesn’t always have to teach some positive value.

Theme  You should be able to state the theme as a complete sentence. “Courage” is not a theme. “True courage only emerges when one’s character is tested,” is a theme.

Symbol  A symbol is a thing or person in a story that represents something else. Often it stands for an idea, quality, or concept bigger than itself. A road can be a symbol for the path we take in life. A river can be a symbol for constant change. A broken mirror can be a symbol for a strained relationship.

Irony  Irony is the use of words to express the opposite of what one really means. There are three types:  Verbal Irony  Situational Irony  Dramatic Irony

Verbal Irony  Verbal irony: what is said is opposite of what is meant "Lovely day outside, isn’t it?" (When it is raining). “Nice job, Einstein”* (When someone says something foolish) *Most sarcastic comments are ironic.

Situational Irony  Situational irony: the contrast between what happens and what was expected Two armed robbers run out of a bank to find that their car has been stolen. A person who drives across country because he is afraid of flying is killed when a plane crashes into his car.

Dramatic Irony  Dramatic irony: contrast between what the character thinks to be true and what we know to be true. Horror movies – the audience knows that the villain (Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, Leatherface, etc) is in the basement, but the character in the movie walks steadily down the basement stairs.

Prose  Prose: writing that is in ordinary language composed in sentences. Not poetry—written in regular sentences. Most things you read are in prose: Short Stories Novels Magazine articles Newspaper articles

Mood  Feeling that a story conveys to readers. Spooky – “The Black Cat” Light-hearted – The Cat in the Hat Tense – The Crucible  Mood is deliberately created by an author, and usually it is present in fictional works: (novels, short stories, poetry, plays)

Tone  Writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter Serious Sarcastic Light-hearted

Tone Formal  Long running research shows that high school graduates make, on average, $500,000 more over the course of their careers than do high school dropouts. Drop outs are also eight times more likely to end up in prison. As such, it is essential to guide students toward graduation. Informal & “conversational”  Since you’ll make half a million dollars less and be eight times more likely to go to prison if you drop out, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out graduation is a very good idea.

Dialogue  When people are talking in a story.  Dialogue is in quotation marks. “Hello Marcy,” said Steve. “Hey there,” Marcy replied.