Umm Al Qura University Faculty of Social Sciences English Department An Introduction to Fiction Introduction to Literature Mrs. Nadia Khawandanah Nadia Khawandanah

Exposition That part of a narrative or drama in which important background information is revealed. Information essential to understanding the situation. Nadia Khawandanah

Theme  The general idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to express in a literary work.  All the elements of a literary work ; plot, setting, characterization, and figurative language contribute to the development of its theme. Nadia Khawandanah

Tone  The attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject, characters, or audience. (nostalgic, happy, melancholic, hopeful, serious, comic).  Tone is created through the choice of words and details. Nadia Khawandanah

Point of View: The vantage point from which a narrative is told. First -person: The story is told by one of the characters in his or her own words. The First –person point of view is limited, since the reader is told what this character knows and observes. Third- person(Omniscient): The narrator is not a character in the story. He is “all-knowing,” observer who can describe and comment on all the characters and actions in the story. Nadia Khawandanah

Irony A contrast or an incongruity between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen. Nadia Khawandanah

Irony Dramatic Irony: in which a reader or an audience perceives something that a character does not know. Verbal Irony: in which a writer or speaker says one thing and means entirely different.

Plot The sequence of event or actions in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem. It has a series of incidents that are related to one another. Nadia Khawandanah

Conflict A struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a short story, novel, play or narrative poem. It is the most important element of plot. Conflict may be external or internal. Nadia Khawandanah

External Conflict 1- A person against another person. 2- a person against society 3- a person against nature. Internal Conflict Two elements within a person struggling for mastery. Nadia Khawandanah

Freytag’s Pyramid climax Exposition & Conflict Rising Action Falling Action Nadia Khawandanah

Climax = Crisis  The point of greatest intensity, interest, or suspense in a narrative.  It marks a story’s turning point. Nadia Khawandanah

Rising Action The action leading to the climax and the simultaneous increase of tension in the plot. Nadia Khawandanah

Falling Action = Resolution All action after the climax. Nadia Khawandanah

Recognition The moment in a story when previously unknown or withheld information is revealed to the protagonist, resulting in the discovery of the truth of his or her situation and, usually, a decisive change in course for that character. Nadia Khawandanah

Denouement The outcome of a plot. It is that part of a play, short story, novel, or narrative poem in which conflicts are resolved, or unravelled, and mysteries and secrets connected with the plot are explained. Nadia Khawandanah

Suspense The quality of a story, novel, or drama that makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events. Suspense makes readers ask: What will happen next??? How will this work out? Nadia Khawandanah

Setting The time & place in which the events in a short story, novel, play or narrative poem occur. Nadia Khawandanah

Style  An author characteristic way of writing, determined by the choice of words, the arrangement of words in sentences, and the relationship of the sentences to one another.  It also refers to the particular way in which an author uses imagery & figurative language.  It is the sum total of qualities and characteristics that distinguish the writings of one writer from those of another. Nadia Khawandanah

Imagery Language that appeals to any sense or any combination of senses. Visual, sound, smell, taste, feel to the touch Nadia Khawandanah

Figurative Language: Language that is not intended to interpreted in a literal sense. By appealing to the imagination, it provides new ways of looking at the world. Elements: (Figures of Speech) Metaphor, simile, and personification. Nadia Khawandanah

Simile A comparison made between two things through the use of a specific word of comparison, such as: As Than Like Nadia Khawandanah

Metaphor A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are basically dissimilar, without a connective word. Nadia Khawandanah

Personification A figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities. Nadia Khawandanah

Flashback A scene in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem that interrupts the action to show an event that happened at an earlier time. Nadia Khawandanah

Foreshadowing The use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what action is to come. Foreshadowing helps to build suspense in a story because it suggests what is about to happen. Nadia Khawandanah

Characters Persons, ---or animals, things or natural forces presented as persons---- appearing in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem Nadia Khawandanah

Types of characters Static remain the same throughout a narrative. Flat have only one or two sides or traits. Dynamic experience some change in personality or attitude. Round are complex and many sides or traits. Nadia Khawandanah

Characterization The personality a character displays. Also, the means by which an author reveals that personality. Nadia Khawandanah 1-By showing the character acting and speaking 2-By giving a physical description of the character 4-by revealing what other characters think about the character. 5- by commenting directly on the character. 3- by revealing the character’s thoughts

References Keach, William et. al. Adventures in English Literature. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Wonston, Nadia Khawandanah