Elements of Fiction

1. Elements of Fiction During reading comprehension

2. Plot • Theme • Character • Point of view • style

3. PLOT • The plot of a story is the sequence of events in which the characters play out their roles in some kind of conflict. Plot is what happens • Elements of plot: • The promise that something exciting will happen • Conflict must be believable • Most exciting plots are ones where the action continues to rise, building suspense which leads to the climax. • This is followed by the resolution or denouement, a brief wrapping up and subsiding of the details • There are also realistic plots and episodic plots • The more unusual the plot the greater the need for foreshadowing. • Types of plot • Protagonist against self • Protagonist against society • Protagonist against another • Protagonist against nature

4. Character • Good books usually have protagonists the reader can identify with closely. The reader feels as if they are living the experience. • The reader becomes more interested in what is going on in the mind of the main character then in what is happening to the character from the outside. • The length of the book determines how much time the author will have to develop a cast of characters. • The protagonist is usually • The central character • The reader identifies with them • Has a rounded personality (we hear what they say, what others say about them, we know what they think and how they feel) • Has a dynamic personality • Secondary characters are usually static and flat.

5. Theme • The theme is what ties it all together and answers the questions: what does the story mean? What is it about? • It is something which pervades the story and stays with the reader long after the details of plot, setting and characters have faded. • There can be more than one theme in a story. • A theme must be discovered by the reader. It can’t simply be told or else it is reduced to a moral.

6. Point of View • Point of view is expressed largely through the person who tells the story. A story has to be told from a consistent viewpoint. • An omniscient or all knowing point of view is the one that gives the storyteller the most freedom. With this point of view it is as if the writer is present in all the characters, knowing what is inside their minds. • A first person point of view gives writers much less freedom, as they have to stay in the mind of only one character. With this point of view, the storyteller can describe other characters in an objective manner- whatever can be seen from the outside, but can’t tell what's going on inside their minds.

7. Diversity and range of representation: is there a wide range of culture’s included in the book? Who is excluded from the book? • Are Groups stereotyped? The portrayal of stereotypical articles should be avoided, such as the sombrero and poncho, a feathered headdress and moccasins. Literature should also avoid implying that specific occupations (such as computer expert), recreational pastimes (such as soccer), or family structure are associated with any one particular race or ethnic group.

8. The perspective of the book. If a book is about a specific minority group, we need to ask if it truly represents that minority’s experience? • Do minority characters take the initiative in problem solving? • Are racial pride and positive self image apparent in the story? • Do the details of the story authentically portray the experience of the represented minority?

9. Style • This is the way a story is written as contrasted to what the story is about. Style is about being able to combine the previously discussed elements to create an engaging story • Authors will use: • Hyperbole • Dialect • Dialogue • Figurative language • Metaphors similes • Symbols personification • Alliteration assonance • Rhyme rhythm