ELEMENTS OF FICTION

Fiction: Fiction is any form of narrative which deals, in part or in whole, with events that are not factual, but
rather, imaginary and invented by its author(s).
PLOT AND STRUCTURE
Plot: Plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea. It is a planned, logical series of events
having a beginning, middle, and end.
It must include a sequence of incidents that bear a significant casual relationship to each other. Casualty is an
important feature of realistic fictional plots: it simply means that one thing happens because os-as a result ofsomething else.
There are five essential parts of plot:

EXPOSITION
Exposition/Introduction - Exposition is the beginning of the plot concerned with introducing the setting of a
story.
Rising Action - Rising Action is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflicts/problems
in the story are revealed.
Climax - Climax is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. It is a moment of great
intensity, generally bringing events to a head and leading to the conclusion.
Falling Action - The falling action occurs after the climax and is where all the loose ends of the story are tied
up. Here you will see change in the characters affected by solving of the main conflict.
Denouement - Denouement is where conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense
of catharsis, or release of tension and anxiety, for the reader and thus serves as the conclusion of the story.
CHARACTER
The characters in a story are the people who experience the events of the plot. Every story you read will have
characters.
Characters can be examined and studied using the three A's criteria: Appearance, Actions, and Attitude.
Types of Characters:
Protagonist - The protagonist is the main character in a story around whom the action centers, the character
that the reader or audience empathizes with.
Antagonist - The antagonist is the character, force, or collection of forces that stands directly opposed to the
protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story.
TYPES OF CHARACTER
Round / Dynamic Character - A round character is a major character who encounters conflict and is changed
by it. They are fully developed and described than other characters.
Static / Flat Character - Also referred to as "two-dimensional characters" or "flat characters," they play a
supporting role to the main character and lack a complex and realistic personality.
Confidante - The confidante is a minor or secondary character in a story in whom the protagonist confides,
revealing his or her state of mind in dialogue rather than in soliloquies.
Foil - A character in a work whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character in order to
highlight the distinctive temperament of that character (usually the protagonist).
Stock Character - Some flat characters are recognized as stock characters; they embody stereotypes such as
the "dumb blonde" or the "mean stepfather." They become types rather than individuals.
HOW TO UNDERSTAND CHARACTERS
We can reveal characters through following major methods:
1. Narrative summary without judgement
2. Narrative description with implied or explicit judgement

3. Surface details of dress and physical experience

4. Characters actions what they do
5. Characters speech what and how they say it
6. Characters consciousness what they think and feel
SETTING
Setting is the time (when) and location (where) the story takes place.
The term setting is also used to refer to the social milieu in which the events of a story occur.
Setting of a story can be understood better by looking at the following factors:
Time: When is the story taking place? (Present ,Past, Future, Year, date etc)
Place: Where is the story taking place? ( palace, village, city, urban, rural, suburban)
Culture: What are the social characteristics of the characters? (speech, dress, mannerisms, customs )
Mood/Atmosphere: What feeling is created at the beginning of the story?(tragic, comic, thrilling etc)

Setting can be of various forms:

Utopia: Utopian setting in a story is the creation of an ideal world.
Example: Platos REPUBLIC
Dystopia: Dystopian fiction is the opposite of Utopia, creation of a nightmare world.
Example: 1984 by George Orwell
Mythical: A traditional sacred story, typically revolving around the activities of gods and heroes, which purport
to explain a natural phenomenon or cultural practice.
Example: Greek Mythological stories
Fictional: Fiction is any form of narrative which deals, in part or in whole, with events that are not factual, but
rather, imaginary and invented by its author(s).

Example: Alice in Wonderland

Historical: Historical Setting often portrays fictional accounts or dramatization of historical figures or events.
It attempts to capture the spirit, mannerisms, and social conditions of the people and time present in the story,
with due attention paid to period detail.

Example: The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas

CONFLICT
It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move.
It adds excitement and suspense to a story. The conflict usually becomes clear to the beginning of the story.
As the plot unfolds, the reader starts to wonder what will happen next and how the characters will handle the
situation.
There are two main types of conflict.
External: A struggle with a force outside one's self.
Internal: A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper,
resist an urge, etc.

There are four kinds of conflict:

Character vs. character (physical): The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other
men, forces of nature, or animals. It is external.
Example: Hamlet vs. Claudius (Hamlet)
Man vs. Destiny/Fate (classical): The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life
facing him/her.
Example: Heathcliff vs. Destiny (Wuthering Heights)
Man vs. Nature To Build a Fire
Man vs. Society (social): The leading character struggles against social traditions, ideas, practices, or

customs of other people.

Example: Oliver Twist vs. Society (Oliver Twist)
Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological): The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own
soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical.
Example: Hamlet vs. Procrastination

THEME
The central message or the main idea in a literary work.
A theme provides a unifying point around which the plot, characters, setting, point of view, symbols, and other
elements of a work are organized.
Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly.
Example: The theme of the story Later is love, sacrifice, and loss.
These key elements help to hold the story together and enable the author to develop the action in a logical
way to hold the readers interest.
POINT OF VIEW
Point of View is simply who is telling the story.
To determine POV ask, who is telling the story, and how much do they know?
Third Person Omniscient POV- The story is told in third person by a narrator who has unlimited knowledge of
events and characters.
Third Person Limited POV- The story is told in third person but from the view point of a character in the story.
POV is limited to the characters perceptions and shows no direct knowledge of what other characters are
thinking, feeling, or doing.
First Person POV- The author disappears into one of the characters. Shares the limitations of third person
limited. Uses the pronouns I and we.
Stream of Consciousness- presents the random thoughts going through a characters head within a certain
period of time.
Objective POV- Records only what is seen and heard. In its purest form, objective POV would consist of only
dialogue. Forces the author to refrain from interpretation.
Second Person POV- Uses the pronoun you. Infrequently used.
STYLE
Style is the manner in which an author uses words, constructs sentences, incorporates non-literal
expressions, and handles rhythm, timing, and tone.
When asked to discuss style, you are being asked to describe how or explain why the words, sentences, and
imaginative comparisons are effective in terms of what is being created.
Diction- Central to an authors style. Includes:

1. Vocabulary- Choice of words

a. Simple words- Everyday word choice. (She was sick for a long time.)
b. Complex words- Flexing intellectual muscle (Garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated
even the august names of that neighborhood.)
c. Concrete words- Things we can touch, see, etc. (Jeans, book,..)
d. Abstract words- Words that express intangible ideas (freedom, heritage, something)

2. Syntax- arrangement of words, their ordering, grouping and placement within phrases, clauses, and
sentences.

3. Rhythm- The pattern of flow and movement created by the choice of words and the arrangement of phrases
and sentences. Rhythm is directly affected by the length and composition of sentences, the use of pauses
within sentences, the use of repetition, and the ease or difficulty in pronouncing the combinations of word
sounds in the sentences.