Elements Of Fiction

Front 1

Plot

Back 1

The sequence of events in a story. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end.

Front 2

Exposition (Introduction)

Back 2

Beginning of the story; characters, background, and setting revealed.

Front 3

Rising Action

Back 3

Events in the story become complicated; conflict is revealed- events between the introduction and climax.

Front 4

Climax

Back 4

Turning point of the story. Leaders wonder what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not? Consider the climax as a three-fold phenomenon: main character receives new information, excepts the information, and acts on this information.

Front 5

Falling Action

Back 5

Resolution begins; events and complications start to fall into place- events between climax and denouement.

Front 6

Resolution (Conclusion)

Back 6

Final outcome of events in the story.

Front 7

Setting

Back 7

Time and location that a story takes place. For some stories, the setting is very important; well for others it is not. When examining how setting contributes to the story, there are multiple aspects to consider.

Front 8

Place

Back 8

Geographical location; where is the action of the story taking place?

Front 9

Time

Back 9

Historical period, time of day, year, etc.; When is the story taking place?

Front 10

Weather Conditions

Back 10

Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc.?

Front 11

Special Conditions

Back 11

What is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story contain ‘local colour’ (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?

Front 12

Mood or Atmosphere

Back 12

What feeling is created/intended at the beginning of the story? Cheerful or eerie?

Front 13

Character

Back 13

A person, animal, being, creature or thing that performs the actions and dialogue, moving the story along a plot line.

Front 14

Protagonist

Back 14

Clear center of story; all major events are important to this character.

Front 15

Antagonist

Back 15

Opposition of main character.

Front 16

How can characteristics of a character be revealed?

Back 16

Physical appearance, what he/she says, thanks, feels, dreams and what he/she does or does not do, or what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her.

Front 17

Round Character

Back 17

Fully developed personalities affected by the stories events; they can learn grow or deteriorate by the end of the story. Characters are most convincing when they resemble real people by being consistent, motivated, and life-like.

Front 18

Flat Character

Back 18

One-dimensional character (stereotypical character).

Front 19

Dynamic Character

Back 19

Character who does go through change and “grows” during a story.

Front 20

Static Character

Back 20

Character does not go through a change.

Front 21

Conflict

Back 21

Essential to plot, opposition ties incidence together and moves the plot. Not nearly limited to arguments, conflict can be any form of struggle the main character faces.

Front 22

Internal Conflict

Back 22

Struggle with one’s self.

Front 23

Character vs. Self

Back 23

Struggles with own soul, physical limitations, choices, etc.

Front 24

External Conflict

Back 24

Struggle with a force outside one’s self.

Front 25

Character vs. Character

Back 25

Struggles against other people.

Front 26

Character vs. Nature

Back 26

Struggles against animals, weather, environment, etc.

Front 27

Character vs. Society

Back 27

Struggles against ideas, practices, or customs.

Front 28

Point of View

Back 28

The angle from which the story is told.

Front 29

First Person

Back 29

Story told by the protagonist or a character who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters; speaker uses the pronouns “I”, “me”, “we”. Readers experience the story through this person’s eyes and only knows what he/she knows and feels.

Front 30

Second Person

Back 30

Story told by a narrator who dresses the reader or some other assumed “you”; speaker uses pronouns “you”, “your” and “yours”.

Front 31

Third Person

Back 31

Story told by a narrator who sees all of the action; speaker uses the pronouns “he”, “she”, “it”, “they”, “his”, “hers”, “it’s”, and “thiers”. This person may be a character in the story.

Front 32

Third Person Limited

Back 32

Funnels is all action through the eyes of a single character; readers only see what the narrator sees.

Front 33

Third Person Omniscient

Back 33

The narrator knows and sees everything, and can move from one character’s mind to another.

Front 34

Innocent Eye/Naïve Narrator

Back 34

Story told through a child’s eyes; narrator’s judgment is different from that of an adult.

Front 35

Unreliable Narrator

Back 35

A character who tells the reader a story that cannot be taken at face value. This may be because the point of view character is in sane, lying, deluded or for any number of other reasons.

Front 36

Stream of Consciousness

Back 36

Story told so readers solely experience the character’s thoughts and reactions.

Front 37

Theme

Back 37

Central message and underlying meaning of a fictional piece; maybe the author’s thoughts on the topic or view of human nature.