1. Genre Characteristics

2. Fiction Stories that are imagined or invented; they are not factual
Usually written to entertain, although some can teach us lessons

3. Characteristics of Fiction
Characters
Setting
Conflict
Plot
Short stories usually have one main plot
Novels contain one main plot and many subplots
Point of View
Dialogue/Dialect
Tone
Mood
Theme
Foreshadowing
Flashback
Irony
Symbolism

4. Characters protagonist -the leading character, hero, or heroine
antagonist -the character who struggles against the leading character

5. Setting Time and place of a story This can change throughout the story
Setting can help readers better understand the characters or the plot

6. Conflict
The struggle between a character and some other force in a story; the problem that must be solved
3 main types:
-man v. man
-man v. nature
-man v. self

7. Point of View Describes who tells the story and how it is being told
The perspective of the narrator/character telling the story can greatly influence the mood and understanding of a story
There are two main points of view

8. First Person Point of view
Third Person Point of view
the narrator is a character participating in the action of the story
When reading stories in the first person, the information the narrator is thinking or saying might not be the whole truth
We should question the trustworthiness of his/her statements and thoughts, because other characters might have a different perspective or opinion
the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters
The narrator is able to explain the perspectives of more than one character in the story, and can let us know exactly how the characters feel
we learn about the characters through this outside voice

9. Dialogue/Dialect DIALOGUE
Howdy, ya’ll!
DIALOGUE
-the talking that takes place between characters
DIALECT
-changes in language based on geographical (where we’re from) or social (the people we hang out with) differences

10. Tone
I wandered, lonely as a cloud That floats on high over valleys and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd, A group of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
The attitude that an author takes toward the audience, the subject, or the character.
The manner in which the words would be spoken out loud (sarcastically, angrily, happily)
Tone can be inferred from an author or speaker’s words, and the intent (purpose) behind the words
How would this be read? What would the speaker’s tone be?
Grass covers the ground-- the hair of the dead
No creature lurks here
And trees hide their faces from the evil that stalks
And the moon tries in vain to reflect light on the dark places
It is silent.
How about this one?

11. Mood The atmosphere or feeling the writer creates for the reader
The characters’ actions and the setting greatly influence a story’s mood

12. Theme The message, or central idea, of a piece of literature
The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of some other pieces of fiction is its view about life and how people behave.
Some examples are friendship, treating others the way you want to be treated, or equality

13. Foreshadowing
The author’s use of hints or clues that allow the reader to infer what will happen later in the plot.
Foreshadowing can be direct, such as changes in the setting (storm clouds forming) or more obvious, such as dialogue between characters that indicate their future actions.

14. Flashback
An interruption of the action in the plot to present events that occurred before the present time
Flashbacks can occur as memories or dreams of characters or as a separate piece of dialogue or narration
Allows the reader to learn background information about characters or events to better understand the current plot of the story

15. Irony
Verbal irony-a contrast between what is said and what is meant (sarcasm is an example)
Dramatic irony-the audience knows something one of the characters does not
Situational irony-the contrast between what happens and what would be expected to happen.

16. Symbolism A symbol is something that represents something else
Authors often use characters, their actions or even objects to represent (or symbolize) a larger idea in the story
Many times, the symbols in a story help illustrate the theme