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The Elements of Fiction

The Elements of Fiction. Professor Braverman ENGL 111.01. ELEMENTS OF FICTION:. PLOT CHARACTERS SETTING POINT OF VIEW STYLE THEME. I. PLOT. Sequence of events in a story and relation to one another (Events: conflict or struggle between opposing forces)

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The Elements of Fiction

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  1. The Elements of Fiction ProfessorBraverman ENGL 111.01

  2. ELEMENTS OF FICTION: • PLOT • CHARACTERS • SETTING • POINT OF VIEW • STYLE • THEME

  3. I. PLOT • Sequence of events in a storyand relation to one another (Events: conflict or struggle between opposing forces) • Causation (what and why something happened) • mostly via characterization • Story may be very short • End orientation: outcome of the action or plot conclusion

  4. The plot follows the Freytag pyramid:

  5. Narrative stages or stages of the plot: • exposition: 1st P (conflict background or setting) • rising action:series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax • climax /turning point: The most intense moment – either mentally or in action – the reader wonders what will happen next • falling action: The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. (The events between the climax and the resolution) • Conclusion: untangling of events in the story

  6. Types of Plot Events in a story can be presented in a variety of orders: • The chronological order: some stories begin with what happens first, following the regular time development of events to end • Some stories begin at the end then lead up to why and how things developed as they did(flashback).

  7. Plot via dialogue • Foreshadowing: the author provides clues or hints as to what is going to happen later in the story • Dramatic irony

  8. “Regardless of the author’s method… short stories must show readers something about human nature through the dramatic action of the plot, and the other elements of the story” (Charter 1746). • DON’T TELL ME, SHOW ME!

  9. II. Characters • The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as people) in a literary work • Protagonist or central character • Relation between the characters and the events provides coherence.

  10. Types of characters • Major and minor characters • Round and Flatcharacters • Dynamic and Staticcharacters

  11. Methods of characterization • Character’s personality • Physical appearance • Names • What the narrator tells us about them • What other characters say about them • Whichever method, characters should come alive as individuals; authors should avoid sentimentality and stereotyping in characters.

  12. III. Setting The TIMEandPLACE of the story • Crucial: understand internal emotional life of characters • Sense of place: essential for readers to visualize the fictional characters’ situations. • Stories don’t always directly tell us their time period (we must figure it out from “clues” / descriptions in the story -style of clothing, activities done, or technology used)

  13. IV. PoV The angle or perspective from which the story is told (Who tells the story) • The point of view is divided into two main types: - First person point of view - Third person point of view

  14. First Person Point of View • Story told from one of the characters’ (either major or minor character) perspective, using the first person pronoun “I”. • Characters may be reliable or unreliable

  15. Third Person Point of View The story is told using a narrator who uses third person pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “his”, “her”, “they” etc. Three different types: • Omniscient • Limited Omniscient • Objective

  16. v. Style How an author uses language to create literature • Rhetorical patterns • sentence length and complexity • word choice and placement • punctuation

  17. Voice: total effect of author’s rhetorical choices • flat • exuberant DH Lawrence: “Trust the tale, not the teller” (qtd. Charters 1756) • Tone: conveys author’s unstated attitudes toward story • Subtle irony

  18. Irony • dramatic • Verbal • Symbolism; a symbol suggests an abstract meaning to the reader • Allegory: fixed meaning

  19. A journey can symbolize life Water may represent cleanliness and renewal A lion can be a symbol of courage. A red rose can represent love. SYMBOLISM A symbol represents an idea, quality, or concept larger than itself.

  20. vI. theme • Generalization about the meaning of a story; usually contains some insight into the human condition • Theme takes its meaning from concrete details of • Plot • Characterization • Setting • PoV • Style

  21. Impulse to tell a story: • to communicate • to create • to raise ultimate questions • NOT just pragmatic urges • As you are analyzing a story and identify its theme: • find evidence in text to substantiate your claim/interpretation

  22. Homework • Outline a text • identify main idea and major parts (look for thesis and topic sentences) • Summarize a text • First sentence: title, author’s name and thesis • Be objective • Use 3rd person and the present tense (e.g. Taylor argues…) • Use your own words (if you use parts of the text, quote!) • Focus on key points • Be concise (avoid wordiness)

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