Method of Analysing A Story

Literary elements are the universal constituents of literature and thus can be
found in any written or oral story.

PLOT STRUCTURE
Exposition
Background information? About characters, setting, situation?
Complication? When does the first conflict/problem arise and develop ? What
other problems start to arise and continue to develop?
Crisis What is the moment of decision (internal dilemma resolved) for the
main character? When is the character faced with his/her internal conflict
and realizes she/he must make a decision?
Climax When does the character MAKE his decision and ACT on it? What
actions results from this decision? What is the highest point of interest (in
terms of action) in the story? When is the suspense (regarding what the
character will do to solve the problem) over?
Resolution (denouement) Tying up of loose ends
Other plot devices/terms include: flashback, flash forward, time lapse, suspense,
foreshadowing, cliffhangers, surprise endings, closed endings, open endings.
Theme: The story's message or main point.
Conflict: What people/forces/ideas/interests/values/institutions oppose each
other?
(man against man, many against nature, man against himself)
Characterization: What kinds of person/people are the character(s)? Their
beliefs/hopes/dreams/ideals/
values/morals/fears/strengths/weaknesses/vices/virtues/talents? How do they
conduct themselves? What do they say and do to reveal themselves? What do
others say and do about the? What are your opinions or feelings about them?
Classifications of types of characters include: protagonist, antagonist, foil,
stereotype, flat, round, static, dynamic.
What do others say and do? What are your opinions or feelings about them?
Classifications of types of characters include: protagonist, antagonist, foil,
stereotype, flat, round, static, dynamic.
Setting: refers to TIME and PLACE:
Style: The way the writer chooses to arrange his sentence structure
(syntax) as well as the words (diction) he chooses. What is the overall effect of
the way he writes? Simple, involved, poetic, colloquial, humorous, pedantic, child-
like? How does it contribute to the author’s message and the overall effect the
author wishes to create?
mood is the atmosphere of the story
tone is the author's attitude towards the topic. Joyful? Melancholy? Fatalistic?
Angry? Peaceful? Scary? Mysterious?
We can identify both mood and tone by looking at the setting, characters, details,
and word choices
POINT OF VIEW Who is the narrator?
first person or third person? (limited or omniscient?) Why significant? Do you
trust the narrator?
Figurative language is when you use a word or phrase that does not have its
normal everyday, literal meaning. Writers use figurative language to make
their work more interesting or more dramatic than literal language, which
simply states facts.
 simile - comparison using like or as
 metaphor- direct comparison, using a form of the verb to be
 personification- human qualities / attributes to non human
 onomatopoeia- sounds reflective of the sense of a word
 oxymoron- contradictory terms appear in conjunction (falsely true)
 hyperbole- exaggeration
 allusion- an expression designed to call something to mind to call something o
mind without explicitly mentioning it.
 idiom- expressions that reflect some underlying ideas our principles of a
culture. "hot potato"; "at the drop of a hat"; "hot mess"
 Imagery- sensory language (seeing, sound, taste, feeling, olfactory)
 symbolism- use of symbols
 alliteration-the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of
adjacent or closely connected words.
 assonance- repetition of vowel sounds
 consonance- repetition of consonance sounds within words (pitter patter)
 synecdoche- a part represents the whole
 irony-words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different
from the actual meaning of the words.
 sarcasm (also a rhetorical device); words meant to hurt; different than irony
 litotes- understatement
 pun- form of word play that suggests two or more meanings

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Literary elements are the universal constituents of literature and thus can be

found in any written or oral story.

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