Story Literary Elements Some basics that every good story must have ….

Every story needs characters People Animals or Creatures

3 Knowing a Character Ways we can learn about particular characters: Action: what the character does Dialogue:what the character says Narration:what a narrator conveys Appearance:how the character looks Name:how the character is named

The protagonist is the “good guy”

The antagonist is the “bad guy” or force

6 Character by Change and Development  Static character: one who remains the same, or very nearly so, throughout a story, unchanging  Dynamic character: one who changes  Flat character: a “type” or “one-dimensional” or, perhaps, a “stock” character with no depth or complexity of personality: the faithful sidekick; the shrewish wife; the cruel stepmother; the bad cop  Round character: a “three-dimensional” character, sufficiently complex as to be believable as a person with all the depth and unpredictability that real people have, one having “more facets” than a flat character (Kennedy & Gioia 61).

The time and place of the story is the setting

Theme is a central idea which unifies the whole literary work. It is an expression of the work’s possible meaning. A story can have more than one theme. Different readers may find one theme more intriguing or more important than another.

10/9/20159 Plot is a structure of events arising out of a conflict in a story (“Plot”). Rather than simply defining plot as the events in a story, i.e., “what happens,” Kennedy & Gioia define plot as “the artistic arrangement of those events” (10). When writing about plot, focus on the arrangement of events.

10/9/ Freytag’s Pyramid German playwright Gustav Freytag drew a pyramid to illustrate the events of a dramatic plot: Crisis Complication (Falling (Rising action) action) Resolution/Dénouement Exposition

10/9/ Stages of a Plot: Exposition, Complication, Crisis, Resolution/Dénouement  Exposition: the opening portion of a story which sets the scene, introduces the main characters, tells us what happened before the story opened, and provides any other needed background information.  Complication or conflict: any story needs some sort of conflict. Here are the major types of conflict which can occur: person vs. person person vs. society person vs. nature person vs. self

10/9/  Crisis: a moment of greatest tension, the high point of crisis in a story, when the outcome is to be decided.  Resolution/Dénouement: the outcome or conclusion; literally, dénouement means the “untying of the knot,” an “unraveling,” for an explanation or tying up of loose ends.  Rising and Falling Action The part of a structure before the crisis is called Rising Action, while the part after the crisis is Falling Action.

Exposition A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work, that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances. what has gone on before (flashback) the relationships between characters the development of a theme the introduction of a conflict

A hint about what happened before is called a flashback Flashback techniques include memories, dreams, stories of the past told by characters, or even authorial sovereignty. (the author might say, "But back in Tom's youth....") Flashback is useful for exposition, to fill in the reader about a character or place, or about the background to a conflict.

A hint about what will happen next is called foreshadowing For example, if you hear this: Then you know someone’s about to get eaten!

Great stories have a conflict Man vs. Man Man vs. NatureMan vs. SocietyMan vs. SelfMan vs. Machine

17 Types of Conflict Remember types of conflict occurring in a short story:  character vs. character  character vs. society  character vs. nature  character vs. self __________________________________

Style, Tone, and Mood Style relates to an author’s use of vocabulary, level of diction, sentence structure, arrangement of ideas. It is “a combination of two elements: the idea to be expressed and the individuality of the author” (“Style” 487). Tone shows the author’s attitude toward his or her subject. A tone might be “formal, informal, intimate, solemn, sombre, playful, serious, ironic, condescending” (“Tone” 503). Mood The climate of feeling in a literary work. The choice of setting, objects, details, images, and words all contribute towards creating a specific mood. For example, an author may create a mood of mystery around a character or setting but may treat that character or setting in an ironic, serious, or humorous tone

Irony Irony is the contrast between what is expected or what appears to be and what actually is. Verbal Irony The contrast between what is said and what is actually meant. Irony of Situation This refers to a happening that is the opposite of what is expected or intended. Dramatic Irony This occurs when the audience or reader knows more than the characters know.

Point of View From what voice or angle of vision or perspective a story or other literary work is told. “That rotten wolf tried to eat us!!!!” “I was framed! I just wanted to borrow a cup of sugar!”

Importance of Point of View POV is one of the most important decisions an author makes in creating a story. It is NOT what is the an author’s theme or opinion. It simply identifies who’s the narrator and what that voice’s relation is to a story.  Who will tell the story?  Which characters do we as readers understand best?  How does the point of view prejudice us for or against characters in a story?

Point of View Types 1 st person: the narrator is a character in the story and speaks with the pronoun “I” to narrate. 3 rd person: the narrator is distanced from the story and speaks with a more impersonal voice using the pronouns “she,” “he,” or “they”

Types of 3 rd person POV 3 rd person omniscient**: the narrator seems to know everything about every character, all their thoughts, motivations, and feelings. Frequently this narrative “voice” is assumed to be that of the story’s author. But authors do not always intend for us to make that assumption. Most frequently, this narrative voice is simply “unlocatable” and cannot really be clearly identified. **“Omniscient” means “all knowing” (omni = all)

3 rd person limited: the narrator knows the thoughts, motivations, and feelings of a limited number of characters, not of all characters. Most commonly, the narrator shows us the story’s action through the consciousness of only one character.

Whether you’re the reader, or the writer, a great story includes all these literary elements!!! conflict setting point of view crisis characters protagonist antagonist foreshadowing flashback theme plot style, tone, and mood irony