1. The Elements of Fiction
English

2. Elements of fiction work like a puzzle to put together a story or novel.

3. The Elements Include: Plot Symbolism Character Theme Setting Irony
Point of View
Tone and Style

4. PLOT
An author’s selection and arrangement of incidents in a story to shape the action and give the story a particular focus. Discussions of plot include not just what happens, but also how and why things happen the way they do.

5. Plot may have three parts:
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action

6. Rising Action
Complication(s) creates some sort of conflict for the protagonist (the main character).

7. Climax
the moment of greatest emotional tension in a narrative, usually marking a turning point in the plot at which the rising action reverses to become the falling action. Formal definition: When the protagonist takes actions against the antagonist surrounding the central conflict of the story.

8. Falling Action or RESOLUTION
the conclusion of a plot’s conflicts and complications. The resolution follows the climax in the plot.

9. Write all answers in the parentheses ( )
Do Not write in the boxes during the quiz

11. Starts crying and wondering how she’s going to get money
Della needs more money she has to buy a present for Jim, Christmas is tomorrow!
Setting Della and Jim’s house. Della is counting her money, 1.87

12. Character
a person presented in a dramatic or narrative work

13. PROTAGONIST, is the central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy (who the story is mostly about).
The ANTAGONIST is the character, force, or collection of forces that stand directly opposed to the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story.

15. A static character does not change throughout the work, and the reader’s knowledge of that character does not grow.
Dynamic character undergoes some kind of change because of the action in the plot.
A flat character (one-dimensional) embodies one or two qualities, ideas, or traits that can be readily described in a brief summary. “Stereotyped”
A Round character (complex) has many qualities and traits. Character’s whose history, past experiences, hopes, or dreams have been explored

16. Type of Characters VS VS
A static character does not change throughout the work, and the reader’s knowledge of that character does not grow.
A flat character (one-dimensional) embodies one or two qualities, ideas, or traits that can be readily described in a brief summary. “Stereotyped” VS
Dynamic character undergoes some kind of change because of the action in the plot.
(Epiphany)
A Round character (complex) has many qualities and traits. Character’s whose history, past experiences, hopes, or dreams have been explored VS

17. A static character does not change throughout the work, and the reader’s knowledge of that character does not grow.
A dynamic character undergoes some kind of change because of the action in the plot.
BEFORE VS AFTER
Belief Or
Action

18. Flat characters = one-dimensional _______________
Some flat characters are recognized as stock characters; they embody stereotypes such as the “dumb blonde” or the “mean stepfather.” They become types rather than individuals.
Flat characters = one-dimensional
_______________

19. Round Characters = Complex
Round characters are more complex than flat or stock characters, and often display the inconsistencies and internal conflicts found in most real people. They are more fully developed, and therefore are harder to summarize.
Round Characters = Complex

20. Characterization is the process by which a writer makes the character seem real to the reader.

21. Authors have two major methods of presenting characters:
showing and telling.

22. Showing allows the author to present a character talking and acting, and lets the reader infer what kind of person the character is.
In telling, the author intervenes to describe and sometimes evaluate the character for the reader. Characters can be convincing whether they are presented by showing or by telling, as long as their actions are motivated.

23. Motivated action by the characters occurs when the reader or audience is offered reasons for how the characters behave, what they say, and the decisions they make.
Plausible action is action by a character in a story that seems reasonable, given the motivations presented.

24. Setting
The setting is the physical and social context in which the action of a story occurs. The major elements of setting are the time, the place, and the social environment that frames the characters. Setting can be used to evoke a mood or atmosphere that will prepare the reader for what is to come. Sometimes, writers choose a particular setting because of traditional associations with that setting that are closely related to the action of a story.

25. Point of View
Refers to who tells us a story and how it is told. What we know and how we feel about the events in a work are shaped by the author’s choice of point of view. The teller of the story, the narrator, inevitably affects our understanding of the characters’ actions by filtering what is told through his or her own perspective.

26. POV
3rd person limited

27. POV
1st person

28. POV
3rd person

29. POV
3rd person

30. POV
3rd person

31. Scarlet Ibis

32. WILLIAM ARMSTRONG VS
DOODLE
What do people expect from someone named “Doodle?”

33. Direct vs. Indirect Characterization
DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like.
INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.

34. Direct Characterization
Right there – No thought necessary
Shorter paragraphs
Tells you what to think

35. Direct Characterization
Right there – No thought necessary
Shorter paragraphs
Tells you what to think
Direct Characterization
Julie owned a multitude of outfits and accessories, and it always took her forever to decide which combination might impress Trent. As usual, she called her sister several times for advice. After doing so, Julie decided to give the navy blue skirt with the white sweater a try.
Tell
Tell
Tell

36. Indirect Characterization
Remember to STEAL (Yeah I said it!)
S – speech
What does the character say? How does the character speak?
T - thoughts
What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings?
E – effects on others
What is revealed through the character’s effect on other
people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character?
A – actions
What does the character do? How does the character behave?
L – looks
What does the character look like? How does the character dress?

37. Indirect Characterization
Julie held up six different outfits in front of the mirror and pondered which would go best with her navy blue shoes, pastel eye shadow and the diamond earrings she’d already procured from her overflowing vanity. After ninety minutes of mixing and matching, and cell-phoning her sister three times for advice, Julie finally made up her mind. She’d give the navy blue skirt and white sweater a try, hoping Trent would love it.
Thought
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Thought

38. Direct
Indirect OR
Ed Johnson scratched his head in confusion as the sales rep explained Dralco’s newest engine performance diagnostic computer. The old mechanic hated modern electronics, preferring the old days when all he needed was a stack of manuals and a good set of tools.
Tell
Tell
Tell

39. Direct
Indirect OR
Tell
Tell
She had no dowry, no hopes, not the slightest chance of being appreciated, understood, loved, and married by a rich and distinguished man;
Tell
Tell
Tell
Tell
The Gift of the Magi

40. Direct
Indirect OR
Speech
“Cut my hair off and sold it,” said Della. “Don’t you like me just as well, anyhow? I’m me without my hair ain’t I?” Tears began forming in her eyes.
Speech
Speech
Actions
The Gift of the Magi

41. Direct
Indirect OR
Speech
Speech
“You’ve good eyes,” said Whitney, with a laugh, “and I’ve seen you pick off a moose moving in the brown fall bush at four hundred yards, but even you can’t see four miles or so through a moonless Caribbean night.”
Effects On
Others
Most Dangerous game

43. Direct
Indirect OR
“You’ve good eyes,” said Whitney, with a laugh, “and I’ve seen you pick off a moose moving in the brown fall bush at four hundred yards, but even you can’t see four miles or so through a moonless Caribbean night.”
Most Dangerous game

44. Symbolism
A person, object, image, word or event that evokes a range of additional meaning beyond and usually more abstract than its literal significance.

45. Types of Symbols
Conventional symbols have meanings that are widely recognized by a society or culture. Writers use conventional symbols for reinforcing meanings.
A literary or contextual symbol can be a setting, character, action, object, name or anything else in a work that maintains its literal significance while suggesting other meanings. Such symbols go beyond conventional symbols; they gain their symbolic meaning within the context of a specific story.

46. Theme
is the central meaning or dominant idea in a literary work. A theme provides a unifying point around which the plot, characters, setting, point of view, symbols, and other elements of a work are organized. It is important not to mistake the theme for the actual subject of the work; the theme refers to the abstract concept that is made concrete through the images, characterization, and action of the text.

47. Irony
a literary device that uses contradictory statements or situations to reveal a reality different from what appears to be true.

48. Verbal irony is a figure of speech that occurs when a person says one thing but means the opposite.
Sarcasm is a strong form of verbal irony that is calculated to hurt someone through, for example, false praise.
Tragic irony is a form of dramatic irony found in tragedies.
Situational irony exists when there is an incongruity between what is expected to happen and what actually happens due to forces beyond human comprehension or control.
Cosmic irony occurs when a writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the hopes and expectations of a character or of humankind in general. In cosmic irony, a discrepancy exists between what a character aspires to and what universal forces provide.

55. Tone
the author’s implicit attitude toward the reader or the people, places, and events in a work as revealed by the elements of the author’s style. Tone may be characterized as serious or ironic, sad or happy, private or public, angry or affectionate, bitter or nostalgic, or any other attitudes and feelings that human beings experience.

56. Style
the distinctive and unique manner in which a writer arranges words to achieve particular effects. Style essentially combines the idea to be expressed with the individual word choices as well as matters such as the length of sentences, their structure, tone, and use of irony.