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    Narratiordocx

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    hemayil61
    This resource provides definitions for seven key narrative elements - theme, plot, characters, point of view, setting, conflict, and style - to help readers critically analyze stories. Theme is the overarching idea or commentary on a subject that the author aims to convey through other literary elements. Plot follows a traditional structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Characters are people in the narrative who may change or not change throughout the story. Conflict refers to problems characters face, and how they are resolved indicates the story's meaning.

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    Narratiordocx

    Uploaded by

    hemayil61
    30 views2 pages
    This resource provides definitions for seven key narrative elements - theme, plot, characters, point of view, setting, conflict, and style - to help readers critically analyze stories. Theme is the overarching idea or commentary on a subject that the author aims to convey through other literary elements. Plot follows a traditional structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Characters are people in the narrative who may change or not change throughout the story. Conflict refers to problems characters face, and how they are resolved indicates the story's meaning.

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    narratiordocx

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    This resource provides definitions for seven key narrative elements - theme, plot, characters, point of view, setting, conflict, and style - to help readers critically analyze stories. Theme is the overarching idea or commentary on a subject that the author aims to convey through other literary elements. Plot follows a traditional structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Characters are people in the narrative who may change or not change throughout the story. Conflict refers to problems characters face, and how they are resolved indicates the story's meaning.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    30 views2 pages

    Narratiordocx

    Uploaded by

    hemayil61
    This resource provides definitions for seven key narrative elements - theme, plot, characters, point of view, setting, conflict, and style - to help readers critically analyze stories. Theme is the overarching idea or commentary on a subject that the author aims to convey through other literary elements. Plot follows a traditional structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Characters are people in the narrative who may change or not change throughout the story. Conflict refers to problems characters face, and how they are resolved indicates the story's meaning.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Lewisuwritingcenter.wordpress.

    com

    Narrative Elements Explained


    The purpose of this resource is to assist in the critical reading of narratives, and to help students explore how
    the effect is created and meaning is made. Fiction is best understood by breaking down and discussing terms
    common to most stories, be they novels, short fiction, movies, TV shows, etc. These terms include: plot,
    characters, point of view, setting, theme, conflict, and style. Understanding how these elements
    work helps us better analyze narratives and to determine meanings. Seven main elements of fiction are defined
    below followed by a sample of questions to help readers uncover meaning of a given narrative.

    Theme
     Definition: Theme is perhaps the most important literary concept because it is the overarching idea that
    the writer of the story wants to reader to understand. All other literary concepts are used to create theme.
    The theme is the author’s commentary on a subject. For example, in Shakespeare’s Othello, one of the
    major themes is how easily human perception can be manipulated when powerful emotions are at play. To
    determine the theme, examine other literary elements of the story.
    Questions to Consider: First identify the subject (s) of the story and then ask: what is the writer
    trying to say about this subject? What literary tools does the writer use to create this theme?

    Plot
     Definition: Plot is the structure of the narrative as it moves
    through time. Most narratives (but not all) follow this traditional
    plot structure. It consists of the exposition (introduction of
    setting and characters), rising action (events that build conflict
    for the protagonist), climax (tension of conflict reaches highest,
    most intense point), falling action (the events following the
    climax), and denouement (the resolution of conflict).
    Questions to Consider: What is the relationship
    between the events of the story? How do the actions inform
    the theme of the story?

    Characters
     Definition: Characters are the people involved in the narrative. The process by which a writer creates a
    character is called characterization. The main or central character, often considered the hero, is called the
    protagonist. The main character who opposes the protagonist is the antagonist, sometimes considered the
    villain. Literary analysis of characters often focuses on whether or not and to what extent a character
    changes throughout the story.
    Questions to Consider: What is the motivation of each character? How docharactersgrow or
    transform throughout the story? Or do they fail to grow or change at all? What does their growth or lack
    of growth say about the theme of the story?

    Conflict
     Definition: Conflict refers to the issue or problem characters in a story are confronted by. The
    narrative is structured around how the characters face the conflict. The four general types of conflicts are:
    1) person vs. person (a couple going through a divorce); 2) person vs. self (protagonist wrestling with
    depression); 3) person vs. nature (protagonist trying to survive a natural disaster); and 4) person vs.
    society (protagonist fighting for civil rights). The interaction of character and conflict creates the central
    effect of the story and is the main indicator of meaning.
    Questions to Consider: How does the conflict affect the main characters in the story? How is the
    conflict resolve d and what does the resolution say about theme? How does the conflict change the
    main characters?
    Lewisuwritingcenter.wordpress.com

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