Elements of a Story

 Setting

The setting is the place where the story takes place. Setting includes the following: The geographical
location For example: London, Cairo, Halifax, Vancouver The time period For example: 1865, during
WWII, today The socio-economic characteristics of the location For example: wealthy suburbs The
specific building, room etc. For example: a prep school, a log cabin, a bus, a military base

 Setting Can be used to tell readers about the characters:

That evening T.J. smelled the air, his nostrils dilating with the odor of the earth under his feet.
“It’s spring,” he said, and there was gladness rising in his voice that filled us all with the same
feeling.“It’s mighty late for it, but it’s spring” … We were all sniffing atthe air, too, trying to
smell it the way that T.J. did, and I can still remember the sweet odor of the earth under our
feet. It was the first time in my life that spring and spring earth had meant anything to
me.“Antaeus” by Borden Deal

  Setting Can be used to set the atmosphere for the story:

“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds
hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, though a
singularly dreary tract of country.”“The Fall of the House of Usher”by Edgar Allan Poe

 Characters The people (or animals, things, etc)

Characters The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as people) appearing in a literary
work.Round Characters are convincing, true to life. Have many different and sometimes even
contradictory personality traits.Dynamic Characters undergo some type of change or development
in story, often because of something that happens to themFlat Characters are stereotyped, shallow,
and often symbolic. Have only one or two personality traitsStatic Characters do not change in the
course of the story
 Characters Protagonist: The main character in a literary work (for instance, Charles in “Here
There Be Tygers” or Cinderella or Snow White in the fairy tales named for their
characters)Antagonist: The character who opposes the protagonist (for instance, Miss Bird
in “Here There Be Tygers” or the wicked stepmothers in the fairy tales)
 Methods of Characterization
Direct Characterization: The author develops the personality of a character by direct
statements. “Jack had been in basic training in Florida and Dottie was there on vacation with
her parents. They’d met on the beach and struck up a conversation. Dottie was the talker,
the outgoing one – the extrovert. Jack was too shy around girls to say much at all.”“Furlough
– 1944” by Harry Mazer
  Protagonist (Character We Support) Antagonist (Character We Oppose
CharactersCharacters can be…Protagonist (Character We Support)Antagonist (Character We
OpposeOr…Round (Complex/Real)Flat (Simple)Dynamic (Change)Static (Stay the Same)
 Katniss Characters can be… Protagonist Antagonist X Or… Round Flat
DynamicStatic
 Character Type Chart Directions:
Identify what categories your group’s assigned character in The Hunger Games fits
under.Write a sentence to explain each of your group’s decisions.Regroup with people who
have the same letter as you and share your responses.Complete Peeta’s chart on your own.
 Methods of Characterization
Indirect Characterization: Revealing a character’s personality through:The character’s
thoughts, words, and actionsThe comments of other charactersThe character’s physical
appearance
 Indirect Characterization through Thoughts
“Moonbeam closed his eyes and pretended to sleep the rest of the way to Bamfield. He
couldn’t believe what he had gotten himself into. How had this happened? He’d never held
a gun in his life, much less gone hunting for animals.”“Moonbeam Dawson and the Killer
Bear”by Jean Okimoto
  Indirect Characterization through Words
It was Kenny Griffen, smiling complacently. “Miss Bird sent me after you ‘cause you been
gone six years. You’re in trouble… yer constipated!” Kenny chortled gleefully. “Wait’ll I tell
Caaathy!” “Here There Be Tygers” by Stephen King
 Indirect Characterization through Actions
“The boy held his breath; he wondered whether his father would hear his heart beating…
Through a crack in the counter he could see his father where he stood, one hand held to his
high stiff collar…”“I Spy” by Graham Greene
  Indirect Characterization through Appearance
“Miss Kinney was young and blonde and bouncy and had a boyfriend who picked her up
after school in a blue Camaro.”“Here There Be Tygers” by Stephen King

 PLOT
 Plot is how the author arranges events to develop his/her basic idea. It is the sequence of
events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning,
middle and end.
 Plot Components Introduction: 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) Resolution: The conclusion, the untangling of events in the story
 Plot: ConflictConflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Without conflict
there is no plot.
  Plot: Types of Conflict
Interpersonal ConflictHuman vs. HumanHuman vs. NatureHuman vs. SocietyInternal
ConflictHuman vs. Self
 The angle or perspective from which the story is told
Point of ViewThe angle or perspective from which the story is toldWho is telling the story?
For instance, is it a player on the home team or someone watching the game?How do we
know what is happening?For instance, does a character tell us?
 First Person Point of View
Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters, using the first person pronoun “I”. “The
thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon
insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose,
however, that I give utterance to a threat.” “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
 Second Person Point of View
The main character in the story is referred to using the second person pronoun
“you”.“Rubbing your aching head, you take in the scene around you. Nearby you see a
narrow dirt road, and beyond it a fast-running brook. The road disappears into dense woods
on either side of the field.You hear the sound of hooves, and a strange clanking noise.
Someone is coming! You duck behind a tree as two men on horseback ride toward you. They
are wearing shining metal armor. One of them carries a white banner with a golden lion on
it. They must be knights! You watch as they rein in their horses and dismount just a few
yards away.”Choose Your Own Adventure : The Forbidden Castle by Edward Packard
 Third Person Point of View
The story is told using a narrator who is located outside of the action of the story and 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:OmniscientLimited OmniscientObjective
 Omniscient Point of View
The narrator has the power to show the reader what is happening though a number of
characters’ eyes.“Myop carried a short knobby stick. She struck out at random at chickens
she liked, and worked out the beat of a song on the fence around the pigpen. She felt light
and good in the warm sun. She was ten, and nothing existed for her but her son, the stick
she clutched in her dark brown hand, and the tat-de-ta-ta-ta of accompaniment.”“The
Flowers” by Alice Walker
 Limited Omniscient Point of View
Third person, told from the viewpoint of a character in the story. “They all laughed, and
while they were laughing, the quiet boy moved his bare foot on the sidewalk and merely
touched, brushed against a number of red ants that were scurrying about on the sidewalk.
Secretly his eyes shining, while his parents chatted with the old man, he saw the ants
hesitate, quiver, and lie still on the cement. He sensed they were cold now.” “Fever Dream”
by Ray Bradbury
  Objective Point of View
Third person, told as if from a camera that follows the characters. Only what is said and
done is recorded.“Jennifer stirred in bed. The cotton sheet clung to her body as she rolled to
face the nightstand. With eyes half open, she reached over to switch the alarm clock off
when the man in the shadows reached out and grabbed her arm. Her scream pierced the
quiet night and died abruptly as she was forced violently back into the dark
oblivion.”“Objective Point of View” writesville.com

 THEME
 Theme is the central idea or central message of the story. It usually contains some insight
into the human condition – telling something about humans and life.The theme can be
stated directly or implied by the events and actions in the story.

 Types of Irony
 Verbal Irony:  This is the contrast between what is said and what is meant. In other
words: sarcasm.
 Dramatic Irony:  This is the contrast between what the character thinks to be true and
what we (the reader) know to be true.  Sometimes as we read we are placed in the
position of knowing more than what one character knows.  Because we know something
the character does not, we read to discover how the character will react when he or she
learns the truth of the situation. 
 Situational Irony:  This is the most common in literature.  It is the contrast between
what happens and what was expected (or what would seem appropriate).  Because it
emerges from the events and circumstances of a story it is often more subtle and
effective than verbal or dramatic irony.

 Symbolism
 A symbol represents an idea, quality, or concept larger than itself.
A lion can be a symbol of courage. A red rose can represent love. A journey can
symbolize life Water may represent cleanliness and renewal

 Flashback This is a writers’ technique in which the author interrupts the plot of the story
to recreate an incident of an earlier time (goes back in time; like giving the reader a
memory).  This device is often used to provide additional information to the reader.

 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.  It’s like the music in a scary movie when
we know that something bad is about to happen.
 Essence and Significance of Literature

What is Literature?
What make a great Literature?
(Garcia, et al, 1993, p.4)

Through literature, we learn the innermost feelings and thoughts of people – the most real part of
themselves, thus we gain an understanding not only of others, but more importantly, of ourselves and of
life itself. 
Great literature is distinguishable of the following qualities (Garcia, 1993, p.3)

 ARTISTRY (quality which appeals to our senses of beauty)

 INTELLECTUAL VALUE (a literary work stimulates thought enriches our mental life and by
making us realize fundamental truths about life and human nature)

 SUGGESTIVENESS (this is the quality associated with the emotional power of literature, such
that it would move us deeply and stir our creative imagination giving and evoking vision above
and beyond the plane of ordinary life and experience.)

 SPIRITUAL VALUE (a good literature elevates the spirit by bringing out moral values which
makes us better persons – this capacity to inspire is part of the spiritual value of literature.)

 PERMANENCE (a great work of literature endures – it can be read again and again as each
reading gives fresh delight and new insights and open new worlds of meaning and experiences.)

 UNIVERSALITY (Great literature is timeless and timely – forever relevant in terms of its
theme and conditions.)
(Kahayon, 1988, p.5-7);

 Literture (origin of term – litera which means letter) deals with ideas, thoughts, and emotions of man
– thus it can be said the literature is the story of man. 
(Baritugo, et al. 2004, p.1

 Literature comes from French phrase “belles-letters” which means beautiful writing
(Garcia, et al, 1993, p.3)
The best way to understand human nature fully and to know a nation completely is to study
literature. 
Which is which?
(Ang, 2006)

Literature is our life’s story including it struggles, ideas, failures, sacrifices and happiness.
 Why study drama and theater 

The Classical Definition of Drama

‘Drama’ is an Ancient Greek word meaning ‘act’ or ‘deed’. The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle
used this term in a very influential treatise called the Poetics. In this text, Aristotle classified
different forms of poetry according to basic features he thought could be commonly recognized in
their composition. He used the term ‘drama’ to describe poetic compositions that were ‘acted’ in
front of audiences in a theatron.

 Views on drama 

 Drama as Imitation

 Drama as an Action

While Aristotle offered drama as a general term to describe forms of poetry that were ‘acted’, he
identified different types of composition within this category, including comedy and tragedy. He
regarded comedy as a form of drama because it represented acts that made audiences laugh and he
considered tragedy a form of drama because it represented acts that made audiences feel pity or fear.

The Roman theorist Horace introduced another view of these poetic forms when he suggested that their
purpose was to either delight or instruct. Although various definitions and developments in drama must
be considered in addition to Aristotle’s original assessment of dramas, many of the terms of
classification he introduced are 

#10 Human Beings

#9 Self-Expression
#8 Self-Knowledge
#7 History
#6 The Body
#5 Globalization
#4 Self-Empowerment
#3 Social Change
#2 Education
#1 Creativity
 Philippine Literature
 Pre-Colonial Period

I.PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

A. Characteristics (--BC to 1564)

-Based on oral traditions

-Crude on ideology and phraseology

B. Literary Forms

a. Oral Literature : Riddles(bugtong)– battle of wits among participants

b. Proverbs(salawikain)– wise sayings
c. Tanaga- expresses insights and lessons on life

 II.PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

A. Folk Songs It is a form of folk lyric which expresses the hopes and aspirations, the people's
lifestyles as well as their love ones. These are often repetitive and sonorous, didactic and
naïve.
B. Folk Tales a. Myths – explain how the world was created, how certain animals possess
certain characteristics, why some places have waterfalls,volcanoes, mountains, flora or
fauna.
C. Legends – explain the origin of things. “Why the Pineapple Has Eyes” “The Legend of Maria
Makiling”
D. Fables – used animal characters d.Fantastic stories – deal with underworld characters such
as “tiyanak”,“aswang”, “kapre” and others
E. Epics These are “narratives of sustained length based on oral tradition revolving
aroundsupernatural events or heroic deeds” (Arsenio Manuel).