ELEMENTS IN NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES

Elements of Fictions
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Successful fiction depends on how interesting or engaging the stories are

Authors are responsible in weaving and intertwining elements of the stories to make them able to draw the readers in Those elements are : a. Plot b. Characters c. Point of Views d. Setting e. Themes

Plot
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Sequence of events unfolding in the stories. Causal arrangements of events and actions in a story Requires readers intelligence to relate facts together and readers memory to recall facts

A plot consists of : a. a beginning b. a middle c. an ending

A short stories usually has 1 plot. A novel has several intertwining plots. 5 essential parts of a plot: a. Introduction / Exposition b. Rising Action c. Climax d. Falling Action e. Denouement (Resolution)

Plot
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Exposition / Introduction - characters and setting are introduced Rising action - events of the story begin to unfold - conflict is introduced and developed - building up of suspense and anticipation Climax - the turning point of the story - conflict reaches the highest point - moment of great tension - leaving readers to wonder will it be resolved?

Plot
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Falling action - tension lessens - conflict begins to resolve - readers questions will be answered

Denouement - unraveling of the plot - the outcome of the story is decided - ending of the story happy, sad , hanging, twisted

Plot Structures
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Linear Plot a. chronological order

b. flashback c. in the middle of actions

Plot Structure
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Aristotelian Plot

Plot Structure
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Modification of Aristotle Pyramid by Freytag

Conflict
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Struggle between the forces in the story. Without conflict, there is no plot. Consists of : a. External conflicts protagonist against external factors b. Internal conflicts protagonist against inside forces Common conflicts a. human vs human (physical) b. human vs self (psychological) c. human vs nature d. human vs society (social) e. human vs technology f. human vs fate (classical)
Source :http://www.slideshare.net/KSmith15/introduction-to-the-short-story

Characters
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Consists of : a. people in the stories b. characteristics of the people in the stories c. in the form of non human animals / things

Protagonist - the main character of the story - sometimes seen as the Hero - often faces conflict - may undergo character changes

Characters
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Antagonist : - opposes the protagonist - sometimes also seen as the Villain - can be non human
Secondary characters - important to the storyline - flat characters - have limited character traits - do not undergo any changes

Characters
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Foil characters : - help the personality and characteristics of the protagonist stand out - can be in the form of enemy or friend - often have conflicting personalities and dissimilar physical features
(http://characterandcharacterization.webs.com/foil.htm)

Background characters - appear infrequently - most of the time are not named

Types of Characters
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Round characters : - possess various traits - undergo transformation or emotional growth throughout the story - readers can identify different sides of a round character Flat characters: - reader can only see one side of the character - usually are minor characters with limited traits Archetypes: - stereotype characters - common, generalized traits, repeatedly found in different stories

Types of Characters
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Dynamic characters : - develop and change and not just round - many sided personalities - changes can be better or worse
Static characters: - one dimensional - stay the same with no development - readers know very little about them - flat characters

Points of view
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The narrator of the story Tone and mood of the story can change depending on who is telling the story First person narrator - the story is told through the eyes of someone who is part of the whole story - events confined to what the narrator experiences directlyor knows from someone else - limited to one person - key words : I , we, me, us

Points of view
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Omniscient - third person narration - have access to everyones thoughts, feeling and actions - narrator is not a character in the story - omniscient limited : focuses only on the experiences of one single character - omniscient objective : no comments on the characters thoughts - reader has to make interpretation

Points of view
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Why point of view is important? - able to listen to narrator through his voice

- the words narrator uses

- nature of the story depends on choice of narrators words - help readers to understand about the plot and the characters

Themes
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The authors message or the work meaning that the author wants to convey to the readers
Moral of the story. A novel may have more that one themes. Conveying the themes through devices such as : a. simile b. metaphor c. irony d. allusion - casual reference to a person, place, or event without actually being specific to the reference or incident. e. symbolism similar to the use in poetry f. foreshadowing a hint is given earlier in the story that refers to something that will happen later in the story

Setting
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The time and location where the story takes place

Determines the mood and tone of the story Includes : a. Geography b. Time c. Weather d. Mood and atmosphere e. Social conditions f. Mannerisms, customs, culture, language

Thank you

Presented by Dr Amelia Abdullah | School of Educational Studies / USM