PROSE

ELEMENTS OF
FICTION
 1. Characters- are the representation of a human
being; persons involved in a conflict.
 Fictional characters are classified into:

1.Protagonist – the principal character in the story. He usually an

admirable character with whom we usually sympathize or
identify.
2.Antihero – an inept or otherwise ridiculous character
3.Antagonist – the villain or a character in conflict with the hero
and is usually less admirable than the hero; he creates the
conflict.
4.Fringe- one who is destroyed by his inner conflict.
5.Typical or minor characters
Ways on how characters are portrayed :

1.Dynamic or round character – a fully developed

character that recognizes changes with or adjust to the
circumstances. He carries with him the reality of human
growth and decline.

 the protagonists and antagonists are individuals who

express a range of emotion and change throughout the
narrative, usually toward greater maturity
2. Flat character – a character who does not grow
and
remains the same or a stereo type character of
conventional traits. Because he exhibits only one
side
or aspect of him, he has no depth and no
changes.

Most supporting characters are portrayed in this

way: a strict teacher, a helpful policeman. And an
3. Foil character – a character who
points the qualities or characteristics
of another character.

 For example, a foolish character

sets a wise character’s wisdom in a
stronger light.
 2. Setting
The locale (place) or period( time) in
which the action of a short story ,
play, novel or the motion picture
takes place (also known as the
background of the story.
 3. Conflict

The struggle or complication

involving the characters, the
opposition of persons or forces upon
which the action depends in drama
or fiction.
 Types of Conflict
Internal Conflict
- occurs when the protagonist struggles within himself
or
herself.
- the protagonist is pulled by two courses of action or
by
different emotions

MAN VS. HIMSELF

Interpersonal Conflict
- pits the protagonist against
someone
else
- person-against-person

MAN VS.MAN
External Conflict
- happens when the protagonist is in
conflict with the values of his or her
society

MAN VS.FATE
MAN VS.SOCIETY
MAN VS. NATURE
 4. Plot
 a casually related sequence of events which involves the
character in conflict. ( Beginning, Middle, Ending)
 the sequence of events is called narrative order
- chronological order the most common type of
narrative order
- flashback occurs when the author narrates an event
that took place before the current time of the story
- time lapse occurs when the story skips a period of
time that seems unusual compared to the rest of the
plot.
Exposition (beginning) introduces the time, place,
setting and the main characters
 Complication (rising action) unfolds the problems
and struggles that would be encountered by the
main characters leading to the crisis.
 Climax (result of the crisis) part where the problem
or the conflict is the highest peak of interest and
greatest emotion.
 Denouement is the untying of knots or the part that
shows a conflict or a problem is solved.
 Resolution (end) contains the last statement of the
story
 Qualities of Plot
 Exciting – it should be more exciting than
the everyday reality that surrounds us.

 Good structure – the episodes must be

arranged effectively, but the most important
element of plot structure is tying all incidents
together, so that one leads naturally to
another.
 PLOT DEVICES
Flashback – something out of the chronological order: to
reveal information to understand character’s nature.
Foreshadowing – a device to give a sign of something to come
its purpose is to create suspense, to keep the readers guessing
what will happen when.
 Suspense- this is the feeling of excitement or tension in the
reader’s experiences as the action of the plot unfolds.
Surprise Ending- this is an ending that catches the reader off
guard with an unexpected events .
In medias res – the technique of beginning a story in the middle
of the action, with background information given later in
flashbacks.
 5.Point of view

the writer’s feeling and attitude

toward his subject; determines who
tells the story; it identifies the
narrator of the story (the form of
narration also affects the story
itself.)
 Classification (POINT OF VIEW)
First person is used when the main character is
telling the story. This is the kind that uses the "I"
narrator. As a reader, you can only experience the
story through this person's eyes. So you won't
know anything about the people or events that this
character hasn't personally experienced.

Second person point of view is generally only

used in instructional writing. It is told from the
perspective of "you".
 Third person POV is used when your narrator is not a character
in the story. Third person uses the "he/she/it" narrator and it is
the most commonly used POV in writing.

There are 3 main types of Third Person POV:

Third Person Limited: Limited means that the POV is limited to

only one character. Which means that the narrator only knows
what that character knows. With third person limited you can
choose to view the action from right inside the character's head, or
from further away, where the narrator has more access to
information outside the protagonist's viewpoint.
 Third Person Multiple: This type is still in the "he/she/it"
category, but now the narrator can follow multiple characters in
the story. The challenge is making sure that the reader knows
when you are switching from one character to another. Make the
switch obvious with chapter or section breaks.

Third Person Omniscient: This point of view still uses the

"he/she/it" narration but now the narrator knows EVERYTHING. The
narrator isn't limited by what one character knows, sort of like the
narrator is God. The narrator can know things that others don't,
can make comments about what's happening, and can see inside
the minds of other characters.
 6. Mood 

is the general feeling or atmosphere

that a piece of writing creates within
the reader.
 7. Tone

in written composition, is an attitude of a

writer toward a subject or an audience.

 is generally conveyed through the choice of

words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a
particular subject. Every written piece
comprises a central theme or subject matter.
 8.Symbolism 

 can take many forms including: A figure

of speech where an object, person, or
situation has another meaning other
than its literal meaning.

 the actions of a character, word, action,

or event that have a
deeper meaning in the context of the
 9. Sensory Images ( IMAGERY)

is a strategy readers use to think more

deeply about a text. It is when a
reader combines their schema and the
information in the text to create
an image in their mind.
This image can represent all of the
five senses (visual, smell, taste, sound,
 10.  Theme 

 is the central topic a text treats.

  It can be divided into two categories: a

work's thematic concept is what readers
"think the work is about" and its
thematic statement being "what the
work says about the subject".
 Activity

Think for a famous movie or

any fictional story, then find
the elements of fiction.