ABC Primer for Fiction © 2007 Lizbeth J. Phillips, MA Ed. LITERARY LINGO! ABC Primer for Fiction © 2007 Lizbeth J. Phillips, MA Ed.

Protagonist Protagonist: main character in a story (or the most central character to story’s action).

Antagonist Antagonist: person, place, thing (usually called a “force”) that works against the protagonist (hero). Antagonist can be: another character a family or group a force of nature (blizzard, hurricane) a force in main character (good v. evil)

Author’s Purpose Author’s Purpose: reason why author created the work of fiction Four Basic Reasons for a Work of Fiction: to explain or inform to entertain to persuade to reveal an important truth

Character Character: person, animal, or imaginary creature that takes part in the action of a story.

Characterization Characterization: methods author uses to distinguish a character. Methods used to describe characters include: physical appearance personality speech behavior actions thoughts and feelings interactions with other characters

Character Types Protagonist: most important character in a work of fiction Antagonist: important character that works against the protagonist in a work of fiction Minor characters: less important characters that interact with main character(s)

Character Types Static characters: stay the same the whole story—don’t change as a result of action in the story Dynamic characters: change from the way they were at the beginning of a story as a result of action in the story

Dialogue Dialogue: words that characters speak Device used to move the story along and reveal the nature of characters in a story Set off by quotation marks Speech tag: identifies speaker and the tone of voice. Example: “Oh, my goodness!” Sarah shrieked.

Dialect Dialect: a form of language spoken in a particular region by the people who live there. Usually not standard English! Example: y’all in place of you all Used to create: reality humor

Genre Genre: category or type of literature being read. Examples: realistic fiction science fiction fantasy folktales fairy tales poetry drama nonfiction

Realistic Fiction Sample STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli Characters Plot Setting Theme People, animals, plants that are believable Highly believable conflict (sameness, peer pressure); could happen Present-day or recent past Consequences for choices we make; variety of others

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE by J. K. Rowling Fantasy Sample HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE by J. K. Rowling Characters Plot Setting Theme Realistic characters, characters with magical powers, inanimate and imaginary objects with human characteristics Realistic conflict (good v. evil) on an imaginary plane or dimension Generally a realistic world with “fantastic” qualities Good overcomes evil (in this novel)

Folktale & Fairy Tale Sample “Cinderella” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Characters Plot Setting Theme Simple characters; often all good or evil Generally a person v. person conflict; often a triad of trouble or problems Begins “Once upon a time…”; always “long ago.” Usually has forests and castles Importance of justice is almost always stressed

Mood Mood refers to: the feelings the writer wants the reader to have Atmosphere the writer creates Writer’s word choices used to create emotions like anger, sadness, excitement, love, hatred, fear, courage Short works have one or two moods, and longer pieces may have many.

Plot Plot is: action of a story Series of events from beginning to end of story Most often written in chronological order

Parts of Plot Exposition: first part of a plot where setting, main characters, and background information are introduced Initiating Event: what happens to get the story going Rising Action: series of conflicts that builds story toward climax Climax: high point or turning point Falling Action: works out the decision arrived at during the climax so conflict is settled Resolution: ending where all the loose ends are tied up so the story can come to a close

Point of View Point of View: vantage point or perspective of person telling the story. Fiction is usually told in first person or third person point of view.

First-Person Point of View Story told by one of the characters Uses pronouns like I and we Sometimes we don’t know what the first person character knows or feels.

Third-Person Point of View Story is told by a narrator who is not a character in the story Uses pronouns like she, he, and they Narrator may share the thoughts and feelings of all characters When narrator only shares thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, this is third-person omniscient narration.

Setting Setting: time and place a story takes place Usually divulged in the opening paragraphs of a story or novel

Style Style: the way a writer expresses ideas Style involves these devices: Word choice Sentence structure and length Literary devices figurative language symbols dialogue imagery

Symbol Symbol: person, place, thing, or event used to represent something else. Examples: George Washington-- Philadelphia-- Dove-- 9/11--

Theme What does it all mean? Theme: writer’s message or main point Themes are usually easy to spot, but sometimes you have to look at setting, characters, symbols, events, and the title to figure out what the theme is.

A New Graphic Organizer PLOT PLOT SETTING PLOT SETTING PLOT SETTING PLOT SETTING PLOT SETTING PLOT SETTING PLOT SETTING SETTING CLIMAX THEME CLIMAX THEME CLIMAX THEME CLIMAX THEME RESOLUTION CLIMAX THEME RESOLUTION CLIMAX THEME RESOLUTION CLIMAX THEME RESOLUTION CLIMAX THEME RESOLUTION RESOLUTION RESOLUTION RESOLUTION POINT OF VIEW MOOD & POINT OF VIEW MOOD & POINT OF VIEW MOOD & CHARACTERS POINT OF VIEW MOOD & CHARACTERS POINT OF VIEW MOOD & CHARACTERS POINT OF VIEW MOOD & CHARACTERS POINT OF VIEW MOOD & CHARACTERS POINT OF VIEW MOOD & CHARACTERS CHARACTERS CHARACTERS