ELEMENTS OF NARRATIVE

Themes--The Central Meaning Of A Text

What is this work about? What evidence can you provide to reveal this is so? How is theme expressed through character or action, scenes or language, the social and material conditions within the text? What issues or ideas are raised? About individuals and their emotional, private or political lives? About social or racial justice? Are the ideas limited to members of the group represented by the characters (age, class, race, nationality, and dominant culture)? Are these ideas applicable to general conditions of life? What values are embodied in the idea? STRUCTURE: Is the work told in flashback or does it proceed chronologically? What effect do flashbacks have? Are there different narrative threads or interlocking narratives used? Are there stories within stories? How do they reverberate, highlight, and respond to themes in the main narrative? Is there a climax, a high point of the story that leads to resolution? Where does the tension lie in the story? Between characters? Between conflicting perspectives? Between contrasting values? Does the work withhold any crucial details until the end? How does the work end? Openended or closed?

CHARACTERS-How are ideas in the work expressed by character? What actions bring out important traits of the character? Is this character realistically depicted? If not, is the character supposed to represent an idea, belief, or value system? How is the character described? Why is this important? To what extent do the traits and the characters actions permit you to judge him/her? Is the character consistent or inconsistent? Believable or not? Dimensional or stereotypical? Has the character changed in any way from the beginning of the narrative? How?

Setting--Cultural, Social, Physical Context Of Story's Action.

Types of settings: natural world: weather and climate, geography, animal life, seasons and conditions. Objects of human construction and manufacture: personal effects, interiors and exteriors, possessions, buildings. Historical and cultural conditions: perceptions and values of society, assumptions, prevalent ideas or trends. How does setting influence character? Create mood? What cultural, religious, and political conditions are assumed? How do objects take on importance and symbolic meaning? How important are sounds or silences? How do weather conditions highlight themes?

Plot And Structure--Selection And Arrangement Of Incidents That Give A Story Focus. How And Why Do Certain Events Happen? PLOT: Are there characters that come into conflict with each other? Or is the plot driven by internal motivation and/or outward circumstances? If the conflict stems from contrasting values or idea, what are these and how are they brought out? What dilemma does the protagonist deal with? How does she deal with it? What obstacles do the characters overcome? Do they realize their goals? Is there resolution in the end?

BASIC FEATURES OF A NARRATIVE

Quotations- Make quotes part of the dialogue. Details- Use sensory detail to place the reader within the story-this is sort of covered by language i.e. using figurative language such as metaphors/similies etc. Structure- Make sure you have a basic structure- a story with a solid beginning, middle and end, where action flows through time.-this

includes whether it's linear/non-linear. Whether it's written 1st/2nd/3rd person. Context-this would include the social background of the characters, the time period it's set in, the culture of the setting. Language: see above 'Details'.