Story Elements

Story Elements
Take notes on the different elements of a

fiction story as you go through each
slide.
Literary Devices of Fiction
 Setting  Rhetorical Devices

 Plot  Flashback
 Character  Foreshadowing
 Conflict  Figurative Language
 Point of View  Sensory Details
 Theme  Allusion
 Mood
 Dialogue
Plot (element)
 Plot is the basic sequence of events in a story. In conventional
stories, plot has five parts: exposition, rising action, climax,
falling action, and resolution.
Elements of Plot
 Exposition-the setting (time, place, season), introduction of

characters, setting the scene
 Rising Action-A series of events leading up to the climax,
usually full of hooks, predictions can be made and
foreshadowing and suspense may be present
 Climax-The most exciting part of the plot
 Falling Action-Denouement, A series of events leading to
the resolution and closure
 Resolution-Tying up all the loose ends of the literature (And
they lived happily-ever-after.)
Setting (element)
 The setting of a story is the
time and place in which it
occurs.
 Elements of setting may

include the physical,
psychological, cultural, or
historical background against
which the story takes place.
Mood (element)
 The mood of a Moody Faces
story is the
atmosphere or
feeling created by
the writer and
expressed
through setting.
Conflict (element)
 In literature, conflict is
the opposition of
persons or forces that
brings about dramatic
action central to the
plot of a story.
Imagery and Dialogue
Imagery Dialogue
  The lines spoken between
The use of language to
character in fiction or a play.
create mental images and
sensory impressions.
Imagery can be used for
emotional effect and to
intensify the impact on the
reader.
Sensory Details (techniques)
 Sensory details are details in writing that

describe what is seen, heard, smelled,
tasted, or touched.
 Writers often use sensory details to enhance

the mood and theme in writing.
Point of View-Narrator (element)
 The narrator is the teller of a story.
 Reliable narrator—the reader accepts the statements

of fact and judgment without serious question
 Unreliable narrator—the reader questions or seeks to

qualify the statements of fact and judgment.
Point of View
 The point of view is the perspective from which
the events in the story are told. The author may
choose to use any of the following:
 Omniscient/third-person omniscient
 Omniscient/third-person limited
 Objective
 First person/subjective
 Limited
Point of View
 Omniscient/third-person omniscient—The
narrator tells the story in third person from an
all-knowing perspective. The knowledge is not
limited by any one character’s view or behavior,
as the narrator knows everything about all
characters.
 Signal pronouns—he, she, they
Point of View
 Omniscient/third-person limited—The narrator
restricts his knowledge to one character’s view
or behavior.
 Objective—The narrator reveals only the actions

and words without the benefit of the inner
thoughts and feelings.
Point of View
 First person/subjective—The narrator restricts
the perspective to that of only one character to
tell the story.
 Signal pronouns—I, we, us
 Limited—A narrative mode in which the story is

told through the point of view of a single
character and is limited to what he or she sees,
hears, feels, or is told.
 Signal pronouns—I, we, us
Theme (element)
 The theme is the central or universal idea of a piece of

fiction; it is a perception about life and the human condition.
 An implicit theme refers to the author’s ability to construct a piece

in such a way that through inference the reader understands the
theme.
Theme
 The theme is also the main idea of a nonfiction

essay.
 An explicit theme refers to when the author overtly

states the theme somewhere in the work.
Theme
 A universal theme transcends social and cultural

boundaries and speaks to a common human
experience.
 The human condition encompasses all of the

experience of being human. The ongoing way in
which humans react to or cope with these events is
the human condition.
Types of Characters (element)
 Dynamic character—a character

which changes during the course of a
story or novel
 Staticcharacter—a character who

remains primarily the same during
the course of a story or novel
Types of Characters
 Round character—a well developed
character who demonstrates varied and
sometimes contradictory traits
 Flat character—a two-dimensional and

relatively uncomplicated character who
does not change throughout a story or
novel
 Stock Character—a special kind of flat
character who is instantly recognizable
(stereotypical)
Types of Characters
 Protagonist—the story’s main character
 Antagonist—a character in opposition of the

protagonist
 Character Foil—a secondary character who

contrasts with the protagonist in order to
highlight aspects of the main character’s
personality
Types of Conflict
 Character versus Character—a conflict between one
character and another
 Character versus Nature—a conflict between a
character and a force of nature
 Character versus Society—a conflict between a
character and the values, beliefs, and/or customs of
a larger group
 Character versus Self—an internal psychological
conflict within a character
Character Development
 Internal  External Character

Character Development
Development  Actions
 Feelings  Relationships
 Thoughts  Dialogues
 Emotions
Character Motivation
 Character Motivation—the reasons, justifications,
and explanations for the action of a character
 Motivation results from a combination of the
character’s moral nature with the circumstances in
which the character is placed.
 Motivation helps to determine what the character
does, says, and feels or fails to feel.
Characterization – the way
an author reveals the special
qualities and personalities of a
character in a story, making the
character believable.
Analyzing Character Traits
We try to figure out what a character in a book
is like by paying attention to the clues the
author gives us. This is called “making
inferences.”
Example: What can you infer?
“No, Honey, I don’t want you to spend a lot of
money on my birthday present. Just having you
for a husband is the only gift I need. In fact, I’ll
just drive my old rusty bucket of bolts down to
the mall and buy myself a little present. And if
the poor old car doesn't break down, I’ll be back
soon.”
Types
There are two types of

characterization:
 Direct
 Indirect.
Direct Characterization
Direct characterization is when the

author TELLS the audience what the
personality of the character is.
Example: “The patient boy and quiet

girl were both at the game.”
Indirect Characterization
Indirect characterization is when the author

SHOWS things that reveal the personality
of the character.
There are FIVE different methods of

indirect characterization: speech, thoughts,
effect on other characters, actions, and
looks.
Indirect Characterization – writer shows you
what character is like by revealing:
• S- Speech
• T- Thoughts
• E- Effect on Others
• A- Actions
• L- Looks
The Difference
The difference between direct characterization and

indirect characterization is TELLING v.
SHOWING!
Indirect characterizations are like clues about the

characters. There is no mystery with direct
characterization because the author gives us the
information we need to know!
Speech– We
often get to know
characters because
of what they say to
each other.
Anita threw her arms around Tony and gave him a big
hug. “Thank you so much for being there for me,” she
said. “I don’t think I could have faced my parents
without you.”
thoughtful compassionate appreciative

Thoughts– When an
author lets us get inside
the mind of a character,
we can often learn a great
deal about him or her.
Butch looked around the neighborhood. “This would be a safe

place to play catch with Bobby,” he thought. “Why doesn’t
Bobby throw the ball?” He must be in a bad mood or
something.”
loyal concerned playful

Effect On Others–
sometimes other characters will tell
us something useful about the
character we’re reading about.
“You wouldn’t believe what Lisa did yesterday,” Sara said to

her sister. “When we went into the bridal shop, she pushed
all the women aside and demanded that the sales lady help us
immediately. It was really something!”
Demanding pushy assertive

Actions – Much of
what we learn about
characters is revealed
to us through what
they do.
Denise picked up the slimy bull frog. She could

hardly stand to hold it even for a moment. She held
it out at arm’s length from her body and quickly
carried it to her brother.
squeamish sensitive nervous
Looks
Can infer a lot about characters from the
clothes they wear, their facial features, their
body language, and their mannerisms.
Tex was the head rancher on the farm. When he

rounds up the horses, he can be easily spotted with
his beige hat and vest. Tex’s smile is a mile wild,
even with his bushy mustache.
jovial proud dedicated

Closing
Complete a Vocabulary Study to your Vocabulary Study Unit 1 Sheet for each of the following terms:
 Direct
Characterization
 Indirect
Characterization
 Static Character
 Dynamic Character
 Round Character
 Flat Character

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Story Elements

Take notes on the different elements of a

 Setting  Rhetorical Devices

 Exposition-the setting (time, place, season), introduction of

 Elements of setting may

 The mood of a Moody Faces

 Sensory details are details in writing that

 Writers often use sensory details to enhance

 The narrator is the teller of a story.

 Reliable narrator—the reader accepts the statements

 Unreliable narrator—the reader questions or seeks to

 Objective—The narrator reveals only the actions

 Limited—A narrative mode in which the story is

 The theme is the central or universal idea of a piece of

 An implicit theme refers to the author’s ability to construct a piece

 The theme is also the main idea of a nonfiction

 An explicit theme refers to when the author overtly

 A universal theme transcends social and cultural

 The human condition encompasses all of the

 Dynamic character—a character

 Staticcharacter—a character who

 Flat character—a two-dimensional and

 Antagonist—a character in opposition of the

 Character Foil—a secondary character who

 Internal  External Character

There are two types of

Direct characterization is when the

Example: “The patient boy and quiet

Indirect characterization is when the author

There are FIVE different methods of

The difference between direct characterization and

Indirect characterizations are like clues about the

thoughtful compassionate appreciative

Butch looked around the neighborhood. “This would be a safe

loyal concerned playful

“You wouldn’t believe what Lisa did yesterday,” Sara said to

Demanding pushy assertive

Denise picked up the slimy bull frog. She could

Tex was the head rancher on the farm. When he

jovial proud dedicated

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