Elements of Literature Notes

Title  The name of the book, article, story, etc.  Examples: The Three Little Bears, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Breaking Dawn.

Author  Person or people who wrote the book, article, story, etc.

Setting Setting is in THREE parts:  Time: When does this book, story, etc. take place? Era? Year? 1 st Snack???  Place: Where does this book, story, etc. take place? Timbuktu? Puente Hills Mall? Belize?  Duration: How long does the entire book, story, etc. last? Three days? Ten minutes? A lifetime???  4 terms

Characters People or animals (or objects that talk and have human characteristics) who take part in the story.  Protagonist: main character (only one)  Antagonist: supporting character (can be more than one) who is sometimes against the protagonist  3 terms

Plot The sequence of events in a story  Exposition: the beginning of the story that introduces the story, setting, and characters  Complication: the conflict or problem to be solved  Climax: the most exciting part, often when the story is at its worst  Resolution: the end of the story where the conflict is resolved and you find out what happens to all of the characters  5 terms

Foreshadowing  A plot device when a writer hints at a future event in the story. Example: When a character’s traits help bring about an event or situation in a story. In a movie, music does a good job with this (think scary movies!).

Point of View The angle of narration used to tell the story. There is only one point of view per story.  First Person: narrated by the main character using the pronoun “I”  Third Person: narrated by a third person using pronouns “he” or “she”  Third Person Omniscient: narrated by a third person using pronouns “he” or “she” and the narrator can tell what all of the characters are thinking. (omni –ALL; scient - KNOWING )  4 terms

Conflict The complication or problem in the story.  Man vs. Man: one character or group of characters vs. another character or group  Man vs. Self: a character battling a personal problem within themselves  Man vs. Nature: a character or group battling a force of nature  Man vs. Society: a character or group of characters challenging the rules of norms (what is normal for people to do) of society 5 terms A STORY CAN CONTAIN MULTIPLE CONFLICTS!!!

Genre  A type or category of literature that is usually fiction yet occasionally nonfiction. Some examples include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, science fiction, fantasy/fantastic, historical fiction, historical nonfiction, romance, etc.

Mood  A feeling that a literary work conveys to reader; the overall feeling of the story.

Theme A message about life or human nature that is conveyed by a literary work. The main idea, lesson, piece of advice, or moral. A STORY CAN CONTAIN MULTIPLE THEMES!!! Some possible themes include, but are not limited to:  Don’t judge a book by it’s cover  Always help a friend in need  Don’t be greedy  Hard work pays off in the end  Good conquers evil A THEME IS NOT ONE WORD ONLY! IT IS A FULL MESSAGE OR MORAL!!!