1. Plot Unit 1: The Narrative Lecture Notes Outline
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Literary Analysis
Unit 1: Fiction
Plot
Level III
NOTE: This presentation contains slides with fields for recording student responses. Any text you insert will remain in the fields until you delete it manually.

2. Plot Plot is a series of related events that drive a story.
Lecture Notes Outline
Plot is a series of related events that drive a story. Typically, a plot introduces a conflict, develops it, and eventually resolves it. Plot has a cause-and-effect sequence, in which one thing leads to another. For many readers, plot is the most exciting element of fiction because it keeps them guessing as to what will happen next.

3. —Isaac Bashevis Singer
A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that is how life is—full of surprises.
—Isaac Bashevis Singer
What do you think makes a plot interesting and memorable?
A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that is how life is—full of surprises. —Isaac Bashevis Singer
What do you think makes a plot interesting and memorable?
Navigation Note
An interactive text field has been provided to record student responses. Please note that any text you insert will remain in the text field unless manually deleted.
Extension Options
• Have students write 1–2 paragraphs in response to the following questions:
—What is your favorite work of fiction?
—What made the book or story memorable to you? Was it a suspenseful plot, an interesting group of characters, or some other element?
—What ingredients make up a good plot?

4. A plot is the frame that gives a story its structure
A plot is the frame that gives a story its structure. There are five elements of plot:
Lecture Notes Outline
A plot is the frame that gives a story its structure. There are five elements of plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This slide shows the Plot Diagram represented as a mountain. In the slides that follow, you will see how a mountain climbing adventure illustrates the different elements of plot.
Graphic Organizer Sources
A blank Plot Diagram in both interactive and printable PDF formats can be found in the Graphic Organizers section of the Visual Teaching Package. Students may access interactive graphic organizers at

5. The exposition is the introduction to the plot. In the exposition
characters are introduced
setting is revealed
mood or tone is established
Lecture Notes Outline
The exposition is the introduction to the plot. In the exposition, characters are introduced, setting is revealed, and mood or tone is established. The exposition provides any necessary background information that the reader may need to understand the story. It also sets the plot in motion by providing an inciting incident. An inciting incident is the event that creates a problem for the main character. This problem is usually resolved by the end of the story. This slide introduces the characters (mountain climbers), the setting (a base camp at the foot of a mountain), and the task at hand (a dangerous mountain climbing adventure).

6. In the rising action, the main character tries to solve a problem and encounters several obstacles along the way, resulting in a conflict.
Lecture Notes Outline
In the rising action, the main character tries to solve a problem and encounters several obstacles along the way, resulting in a conflict. The rising action is where most of the significant events and conflicts of the story line occur. This is also the part of the plot that builds in intensity, creating suspense. This slide indicates the climbers making their ascent on the mountain.

7. Conflict is what drives the plot. There are four types of conflict:
person versus person
person versus society
person versus nature
person versus self
Lecture Notes Outline
Conflict is what drives the plot. There are four types of conflict: person versus person, person versus society, person versus nature, and person versus self.
The first three types of conflict (person versus person, person versus society, and person versus nature) are considered external conflicts, or struggles that take place between a character and some outside force. In person versus person, a character has a conflict with another character (typically, the antagonist) who is creating problems for him or her. In person versus society, a character has a conflict with the rules or beliefs of society around him or her. In person versus nature, a character has a conflict with a force of nature, such as a blizzard, tornado, sandstorm, earthquake, and so on.
The last type of conflict (person versus self) is considered an internal conflict, or a struggle that takes place within a character. Sometimes, a character is wrestling with a decision that he or she needs to make; other times, a character may be trying to cope or manage certain emotions—such as fear, anxiety, loneliness, or grief. A character may also be struggling with adhering to his or her morals, or code of behavior.
Most plots have more than one type of conflict.

8. The climax, or turning point, is the high point of interest and suspense in the plot.
Lecture Notes Outline
The climax, or turning point, is the high point of interest and suspense in the plot. At this critical point, the main character has to take action or make a decision. Sometimes, fate intervenes and forces him or her to do so. There can be one climax or several climaxes in a story, and the main climax doesn’t necessarily occur in the middle of the plot. In short stories, in particular, the climax often occurs near the end of the story. This slide indicates that the mountain climber has survived the obstacles of the ascent and has accomplished the goal.

9. The falling action consists of all the events that follow the climax, including the results of the main character’s action or decision.
Lecture Notes Outline
The falling action consists of all the events that follow the climax, including the results of the main character’s action or decision. This slide indicates the climber’s descent of the mountain now that the goal has been reached. Some stories follow an atypical plot pattern. These stories begin with the falling action and go back in time to fill in the events that led up to it. (See slide 17 for more information on time and plot organization.)

10. The resolution, or conclusion, is the point at which the central conflict is ended, or resolved.
Lecture Notes Outline
The resolution, or conclusion, is the point at which the central conflict is ended, or resolved. This part of the story is also known as the dénouement. The word dénouement has a French origin. Its literal translation is “to untie a knot.” In reference to a literary work, dénouement means the untying or unraveling of the intricacies of a plot.

11. A story’s plot organization is often framed by time.
Chronological order unfolds events in the order in which they occur.
Flashback interrupts time sequence and presents an event that occurred earlier or in the past.
Foreshadowing provides a hint or clue to events that will occur in the future or later in the story.
Lecture Notes Outline
A story’s plot organization is often framed by time. Some stories focus on one hour in a person’s life; others may span one hundred years.
Chronological order unfolds events in the order in which they occur. Words that signal chronological order include first, second, next, then, later, and after.
Flashback interrupts time sequence and presents an event that occurred earlier or in the past. A flashback provides readers with necessary background information that helps them understand the main character’s actions and motivations. Words and phrases that signal the start of a flashback include once, long ago, last week, I remember, when she was younger, and looking back.
Foreshadowing provides a hint or clue to events that will occur in the future or later in the story. Foreshadowing is used to build suspense, to set the tone of the story, to offer clues about future events, and to create certain emotional responses in readers.
Extension Options
Explain to students that writers purposefully arrange their plots to achieve a certain response in readers. For example, a horror or mystery writer might start the story in the falling action and then flash back to the beginning where it all began.

12. To understand a story’s plot organization, make a Time Line of events for a fairy tale or folk tale. Little Red Riding Hood
Lecture Notes Outline
To understand a story’s plot organization, make a Time Line of events for a fairy tale or folk tale. Remind students that when outlining a story’s plot, they should avoid getting bogged down in details. A Time Line should only reflect the main characters and events from a story.
Navigation Note
An interactive text field has been provided to record student responses. Please note that any text you insert will remain in the text field unless manually deleted.
Graphic Organizer Sources
A blank Time Line in both interactive and printable PDF formats can be found in the Graphic Organizers section of the Visual Teaching Package. Students may access interactive graphic organizers at

13. Convert the Time Line you created for a fairy tale or folk tale into a Plot Diagram.
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action
Plot
Diagram
Lecture Notes Outline
Convert the Time Line you created for a fairy tale or folk tale into a Plot Diagram. Ask students which events from their Time Lines belong in which parts of the Plot Diagram.
Navigation Note
An interactive text field has been provided to record student responses. Please note that any text you insert will remain in the text field unless manually deleted.
Graphic Organizer Sources
A blank Plot Diagram in both interactive and printable PDF formats can be found in the Graphic Organizers section of the Visual Teaching Package. Students may access interactive graphic organizers at
Exposition
Resolution