CHLDRENS LITERATURE

Elements of Literature

 Someone who is telling the story

Not necessarily from the author of the story
Point of view will determine the flow and
permeate the whole story

Types of Point of Views

First person :
a. narrator refers to him/herself as I
or me.
b. events are seen through the eyes of
the narrator
c. limited point of view as events are
seen from one side only

Types of Point of Views

Omniscient :
a. all-knowing
b. narrator knows everything that all
the characters do, say or think
c. not a character in the story
d. third person narrator, using terms like
he, she, it or they

Types of Point of Views

Limited point of view :

a. story told from the viewpoint of a
single character in the story
c. not told by the character
d. reader only knows what the
particular character can see and
understand

 Includes time and place

- helps readers understand characters
values, actions and conflicts.
- some stories cannot develop without the
significant of the setting
- some stories only use setting as
background

Types of Setting

Backdrop setting :
- setting is an unimportant
- can take place anywhere and anytime
- no time limit

Types of Setting

Integral setting :
- action, characters & themes are
influenced by the setting
- characters are controlled by setting
- e.g. Charlottes Web

Functions of setting
To create a mood.
- using setting to set
the mood may add
credibility to
characters and plot.
- illustrations can also
set the mood

WK3 Elements_Setting

Examples:
Setting can create a
nostalgic feeling,
frightening mood,
feeling unhappy, etc.

Functions of setting
As antagonist.
- characters need to
resolve the conflict
which is created by
the setting.

As Historical Background.
- authors need to
describe setting carefully
so that children are able
to understand historical
periods
- aware of the speech and
vocab pattern suitable for
the time and era

Functions of setting
As a symbolism.
- operates literally and figuratively
- children will only understand obvious
symbols
- symbols can also create allegory
- sometimes, symbols are used to influence
the story or create a conflict

 sequence of events showing

characters in action or what happens in a
story (Anderson, 2002)
must be credible and believable
should be enjoyable and interesting

Types of Plot

Cumulative plots :
- in traditional literature and pattern
book
- repetition of phrases, sentences or
events, adding to new knowledge
- e.g. The Gingerbread Man

Types of Plot

Linear plots :
- popular in realistic fiction & fantasy
- has beginning, middle & ending
- follow the Aristotelian plot ( 5
phases)

Types of Plot

Episodic plots :
- popular in easy-to-read books
- each chap has a mini plot
- suitable for children with short
attention span or limited reading
ability

Types of Plot

Circular plots :
- have the same pattern as the linear
plot
- the ending is different where the
characters end up the way they
begin

 central idea of the story or the message

the writer is conveying
highlights why the plot happens and what
the plot means
some books have sub-themes but in
childrens books the themes are clearly
identified in the beginning

 A person or a personified animal or object the living

beings in a story, play or poem (Rebecca Lukens, 2003)
Character development characters are shown going
through the complexity of life
The importance of a character determines how fully
developed and understood the particular character is.
Central character important and integral character

How do we identify characters?

Through :
a. actions
b. speech
c. appearance
c. comments
d. responses by others
e. authors comments

TYPES OF CHARACTER

Week 3

TYPES OF CHARACTER (cont.)

Flat or little known characters are the least
important to the plot.
Flat or stereotyped characters are not suitable
protagonists
Flat characters no development, extreme ends;
either too good or too bad.

Week 3

References
We lead

Theresa Rogers,
Literary theory and children's literature: interpreting ourselves and our worlds
Theory into Practice, v. 38 no3 (Summer 1999) p. 138-46
Stoodt et al. (1996). Introduction to Literature: Discovery for a Lifetime. Arizona:
Gorsuch Scarisbrick.
Lukens, R.L. (2003). A Critical Handbook of Childrens Literature. (5th ed.) Scanton, PA:
Harper Collins
Cox, C. (2008). Teaching Language Arts: A Student-centred classroom, (6 th Ed.)
USA: Allyn & Bacon.
Lukens, R. (2003) A Critical Handbook of Childrens Literature . Boston: Pearson
Education.
Lynch-Brown & Tomlinson (2005) Essentials of Childrens Literature (5 th ed). Boston:
Pearson Education

We lead