1 / 7

Elements of Fiction

Elements of Fiction. Setting Character Plot Point of View Theme Symbols. Brief overview of how each function in fiction narratives, from the perspective of both a reader and a writer. Setting. The term setting can refer to all or any of the following elements:

orly
Download Presentation

Elements of Fiction

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 Fiction • Setting • Character • Plot • Point of View • Theme • Symbols Brief overview of how each function in fiction narratives, from the perspective of both a reader and a writer

  2. Setting • The term setting can refer to all or any of the following elements: • General location of the story’s action (ex: New York City, London, Mars) • Time Period (ex: Present day, the 1800s, the year 2059) • Specific physical location (ex: Office Building, Ruined Church, Dog Park) • Setting can be used to set a story’s tone or inform character, while having a nonspecific setting can help make a story appear more universal. (For our purposes, we are leaving universality aside and working to create a sense of time and place for our readers.) • For example: An abandoned mansion gives a very different impression than a sunny Caribbean beach. We expect characters centered in Victorian England to behave differently from characters in present day England.

  3. Character • Most main characters fall into one of two categories: Protagonist & Antagonist • Additionally, there are four main types of characters writers can create: • Round- complex and fully developed, may change throughout the narrative (Ex: Frodo Baggins) • Dynamic- a character who undergoes an important and significant inner change (Ex: Ebenezer Scrooge) • Flat/Static- defined by one or two traits and experiences no change or growth (Ex: Argus Filch) • Stock- a “type” that is already defined in literature and recognized by the reader, with no need for further development by the author (Ex: “the best friend”) There are two main types of characterization: Direct (Telling) & Indirect (Showing)

  4. Plot • Most plots follow a standard progression: • Exposition- Character backgrounds given, setting established, etc… • Rising Action- Conflict is developed • Climax- Conflict reaches its most intense moments • Falling Action- The conflict begins to be “resolved” • Resolution – All loose ends are tied together Climax Falling Action Rising Action Resolution Exposition

  5. Point of View • “Who” is telling the story can have a significant impact on the reader’s response to the action, setting, characters, etc… • For our purposes, we will focus on four specific types of POV narrators: • Third-person Omniscient- Distanced from the story, allows the reader to know anything about any character in the story (Ex: The Lord of the Rings series) • Third-person Limited Omniscient- Narrator is still distanced from the action, but narration is focused and locked onto one specific character (Ex: Most of Harry Potter series) • First Person- Narrator is a character in the novel, uses “I” and is limited to what he or she is informed about or present for (Ex: The Catcher in the Rye) • The “Unreliable” Narrator- The story passes through several layers of character-based narrators and is typically being told for the benefit of another character (Ex: Frankenstein: Captain Walton-Victor Frankenstein-The Monster)

  6. Theme The theme of your story is really the backbone of why we write. What is your story truly about? What do you want the reader to leave your story understanding or questioning? Theme functions as the central idea or message of your narrative. Note, “theme” is not always the synonymous with “moral”. Themes are not necessarily positive. Themes can be either Direct, stated by a character within the story, or Implied, understood and interpreted by the reader through the actions of characters or the events of the plot. A few examples of Universal Themes: Good vs. Evil, Coming of Age, Love Conquers All, Redemption, Triumph of the Human Spirit, Rags to Riches, Loneliness, Revenge, etc…

  7. Symbols The bread and butter of English teachers and scholars the world over! One or more of the elements of a narrative is developed and written to represent something else, typically connected to the Theme. The symbol itself is usually not explicitly stated in the narrative and is not necessary to understand the surface or basic plot and storyline. Rather, the discovery and recognition of the symbol adds depth and layers for the reader. Examples of symbols in literature: Pearl in The Scarlet Letter, The White Whale in Moby Dick, The Green Light in The Great Gatsby.

More Related