1 / 11

Elements of a Narrative

Elements of a Narrative. American Literature, Fall 2013. Characterization. Who are the characters? How do we get to know each character? Dialogue: when characters speak Inner monologue (3 rd person omniscient) Consistency throughout

eshe
Download Presentation

Elements of a Narrative

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Elements of a Narrative American Literature, Fall 2013

  2. Characterization • Who are the characters? • How do we get to know each character? • Dialogue: when characters speak • Inner monologue (3rd person omniscient) • Consistency throughout • Actions and thoughts should remain consistent to the character • Static or dynamic • Does the main character (or secondary characters) change or stay the same? • Primary characters: The main characters in the story • Secondary characters: Everyone else

  3. Point of View • 1st person • I, me, us, we • Told from one person’s perspective – how does that alter a story? • 3rd person • They, them, he, she • Told from an objective narrator – how does that alter a story? • Which is more effective? What’s the difference?

  4. Sensory Details • Imagery • Convey a vivid picture of experiences, events, setting, and/or characters • Taste, smell, sight, sound, touch • Use precise words, not a lot of words • Show, don’t tell!

  5. Conflict • Issue/problem • The story should revolve around the central conflict • Internal – happens within a character • External - occurs outside of the character • Was something learned as a result? • Did the narrator or main character change? Did the secondary characters change? • What was the outcome?

  6. Tone • How the speaker or narrator feels about or towards the subject; the attitude of the speaker or narrator • Not to be confused with the tone of the author – author and narrator are NOT the same thing • Examples of tone: formal, informal, solemn, serious, playful, sarcastic, ironic, guilty, cheerful, gloomy, pessimistic, optimistic, witty, suspicious, angry, pompous • Created through word choice, imagery, including or omitting details, etc. • There can be more than one tone in a piece (for example, it can be both humorous and sarcastic)

  7. Mood • The atmosphere created by the writing or author’s words; the feeling that the reader gets from reading the words • The overall feeling of the work • Created through imagery, dialogue, setting, plot • Examples of mood: frightening, gloomy, mysterious, joyful, melancholy, sorrowful, sentimental, frustrating, suspenseful • Mood is usually established at the beginning and carried on throughout the work

  8. Theme • Lesson learned; message of the story • Avoid clichés, ie. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” or “Walk a mile in another person’s shoes” • Satisfying conclusion • Was there a resolution or did it just stop? • There is a difference between ending a story and giving it a resolution

  9. Literary/Narrative Techniques • Dialogue – when characters speak to each other • lets the characters tell the story • Description – utilizing sensory details • creates word pictures in the reader’s mind • Repetition – repeating important lines or words throughout the story • emphasis

  10. Literary/Narrative Techniques • Pacing – the speed at which your story is told • not too slow, not too fast, but just right • Reflection – thinking and relating to and about one’s own experiences • does it cause the reader to reflect on their experiences? • Plot • Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution; setting

  11. Choices! • Choose the prompt that you feel will lend itself to your best narrative writing. • Choose an artifact that is meaningful to you. Write a multi-paragraph essay describing the artifact, its value, and how it has shaped you as a person. Be creative! For example, think about your favorite toy as a child – what does it say about you? How did it shape you? Help you grow? What did it see? Go beyond the literal and think about the metaphorical. • Write about a scar, broken bone, illness, or other injury you have experienced (it could be your own or it could be someone close to you). In a multi-paragraph essay, tell the story about what happened. How did it affect you? Change you? Shape you? What did you learn about yourself (and/or others) from the experience?

More Related