E ements

F CTION
Elements of fiction:
I.PLOT
II.SETTING
III.CHARACTERS
IV.POINT OF VIEW
 I. PLOT
Plot is the authors arrangement of events
in the story. It has a beginning, middle and
an end. More specifically, the plot follows
the Freytag pyramid:
 Example:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers
Stone
- The plot of the story begins when Harry Potter
learns that Professor Snape is after the
Sorcerers Stone. The professor lets loose a troll,
who nearly kills Harry and his friends. In
addition, Harry finds out that Hagrid let out the
secret of the giant dog which means that Snape
can now reach the Sorcerers Stone.
 Narrative Stages

Exposition: The start of the story, the situation before

the action starts
Rising Action: The series of conflicts and crisis in the
story that lead to the climax
Climax / Turning Point: The most intense moment
either mentally or in action the reader wonders what
will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
Falling Action: The events and complications begin to
resolve themselves. (The events between the climax and
the resolution)
Denouement (Resolution): The conclusion, the
untangling of events in the story
Types of Plot
Events in a story can be presented in a variety of orders:
The chronological order: some stories begin with what happens first,
following the regular time development of events to end.
Some stories begin at the end then lead up to why and how things
developed as they did.
Some stories begin in the middle of things.
Flashback
This is a technique in which the author
interrupts the plot of the story to tell an
incident of an earlier time (goes back in
time; like giving the reader a memory).
 Foreshadowing
This is a writers technique in
which the author provides clues
or hints as to what is going to
happen later in the story.
 Conflict
Conflict is the struggle between
two forces in a story. The plot
revolves around this conflict.
 Types of Conflict
Physical Conflict: Between a character and nature or the
physical world.

Social Conflict: Between characters or between the character

and his or her society.

Internal Conflict (Psychological Conflict): Between different

attitudes of beliefs in the characters mind.
II. SETTING
The setting is the place and time of
the story. It also includes the
circumstances of the story, like the
weather conditions, the social class,
etc.
 Examples:
William Faulkners
A Rose for Emily
- The setting is a decaying
Southern manor in a decaying
Southern town.
J.K. Rowlings
Harry Potter and
the Sorcerers
Stone
- The setting started
in a conventional
muggle world and
transitioned into the
magical world of
III. CHARACTERS
The people (or animals,
things, etc. presented as
people) in a literary work.
 TYPES OF CHARACTERS

Characters can be classified in different

ways:
Major and minor characters
Round and Flat characters
Dynamic and Static characters
Protagonist and Antagonist
ROUND AND FLAT CHARACTERS
Round Characters are complex convincing, and true to life
characters. They are described in more detail, having many
different and sometimes even contradictory personality traits.
ex. Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley
Flat Characters are stereotyped, shallow, and often symbolic.
They have only one or two personality traits.
Ex. Mr. Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts School of witchcraft
and wizardly
DYNAMIC AND STATIC CHARACTERS:
Dynamic Characters undergo some type of change or
development in the story, often because of something that
happens to them.
ex. Hamlet in Shakespeares Hamlet
Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter Series
Static Characters do not change in the course of the story.
Ex. Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter Series
PROTAGONIST AND ANTAGONIST:
Protagonist: The main character in a
literary work.

Antagonist: The character who

opposes the protagonist
 IV. POINT OF VIEW
The angle or perspective from which the story is told (Who tells
the story)

The point of view is divided into two main types:

- First person point of view
- Third person point of view
 First Person Point of View

The story is told from the viewpoint

of one of the characters, using the
first person pronoun I.

The first person narrator can either

be participant or nonparticipant in
the action
Example:
Ernest Hemingway in The Sun also
Rises

I could picture it. I have a habit of

imagining conversations between my
friends. We went out to the Caf
Napolitain to have an aperitif and watch
the evening crowd on the Boulevard.
Third Person Point of View
The story is told using a narrator who uses third
person pronouns such as he, she, his, her, they
etc.
Third Person Point of View can be broken up into
three different types:
Omniscient
Limited Omniscient
Examples

A Rose for Emily

They rose when she entered--a small, fat woman in black, with a thin
gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning
on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head. Her skeleton was small
and spare; perhaps that was why what would have been merely
plumpness in another was obesity in her.
Thank you.