Elements of A Story

Elements of a Story
SETTING
PLOT
CHARACTER
POINT OF VIEW
THEME
SETTING
 The time and location in which a story takes

place is called the SETTING.
 There are several aspects of a story's setting

to consider when examining how setting
contributes to a story (some, or all, may be
present in a story):
SETTING
1) place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking
place?
2) time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day,
year, etc.)
3) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?
4) social conditions - What is the daily life of the characters like? Does
the story contain local color (writing that focuses on the speech,
dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?
5) atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story?

Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?
PLOT
 The PLOT is how the author arranges events to
develop his basic idea; it is the sequence of
events in a story or play.
 The PLOT is a planned, logical series of events

having a beginning, middle, and end. The short
story usually has one plot so it can be read in
one sitting.
PLOT
 There are five essential parts of plot:
1) Introduction - The beginning of the story where
the characters and the setting is revealed.
2) Rising Action - This is where the events in the

story become complicated and the conflict in
the story is revealed (events between the
introduction and climax).
PLOT
3) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and
the turning point of the story. The reader wonders
what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved
or not?
 It is helpful to consider climax as a
three-fold phenomenon:
1) the main character receives new information .
2) accepts this information (realizes it but does not
necessarily agree with it)
3) acts on this information (makes a choice that will
determine whether or not he/she gains his objective).
PLOT
4) Falling action - The events and complications

begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows
what has happened next and if the conflict was
resolved or not (events between climax and
denouement).
5)Resolution - This is the final outcome or

untangling of events in the story.
CONFLICT
 CONFLICT is essential to plot. Without conflict
there is no plot. It is the opposition of forces
which ties one incident to another and makes
the plot move.
 Conflict is not merely limited to open
arguments, rather it is any form of opposition
that faces the main character. Within a short
story there may be only one central struggle, or
there may be one dominant struggle with many
minor ones.
CONFLICT
There are two types of conflict:
1) External - A struggle with a force outside

one's self.
2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a

person must make some decision, overcome
pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
CONFLICT
There are four kinds of conflict:
1) Man vs. Man - The leading character struggles with his physical
strength against other men.
2) Man vs. Nature- The leading character struggles against fate, or
the circumstances of life facing him/her, forces of nature or animals.
3) Man vs. Society - The leading character struggles against ideas,
practices, or customs of other people.
4) Man vs. Himself/Herself - The leading character struggles with

himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong,
physical limitations, choices, etc.
CHARACTER
 There are two meanings for the word

character:
1) The person in a work of fiction.
2) The characteristics of a person.

CHARACTER
 Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and

Protagonist
 Short stories use few characters. One
character is clearly central to the story with
all major events having some importance to
this character - he/she is the
PROTAGONIST. The opposite of the main
character is called the ANTAGONIST.
CHARACTER
 Protagonist: the leading character, hero, or

heroine of a drama or other literary work.
 Antagonist: a person who is opposed to,

struggles against, or competes with the
protagonist.
CHARACTER
 The Characteristics of a Person –
 In order for a story to seem real to the reader its
characters must seem real. Characterization is the
information the author gives the reader about the
characters themselves. The author may reveal a
character in several ways:
▪ a) his/her physical appearance
b) what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams
c) what he/she does or does not do
d) what others say about him/her and how others react to
him/her .
CHARACTER
 Characters are convincing if they are: consistent,
motivated, and life-like (resemble real people)
 Characters are...
 1. Individual - round, many sided and complex
personalities.
 2. Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that
change, for better or worse, by the end of the story.
 3. Static - Stereotype, have one or two characteristics
that never change and are emphasized e.g. brilliant
detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc.
POINT OF VIEW
 Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle

from which the story is told.
POINT OF VIEW
 First Person Point of View

 First Person POV is a story told in the narrating
character’s own voice. It uses “I” throughout, and the
reader doesn’t know any more than the character does.
 Example: I was minding my own business when Mom
burst in. “What’s with you?” I grumbled.
 If the reader is to know that Mom is angry, it must be
shown through her words and body language available to
the “I” character, and not through Mom’s thoughts
(unless psychic abilities are one of the narrator’s traits).
POINT OF VIEW
 Third Person Point of View

 Third person is the familiar he said / she said story.
 Example: Charlie gripped the dollar bill tightly.
“You can’t have it,” he told her.
 Depending on the author’s choice, it can be very
limited, pulling the reader into the head of the
narrator, or completely omniscient, letting
readers see all the characters’ thoughts.
POINT OF VIEW
 Omniscient- The author can narrate the story
using the omniscient point of view. He can move
from character to character, event to event,
having free access to the thoughts, feelings and
motivations of his characters and he introduces
information where and when he chooses. There
are two main types of omniscient point of view:
POINT OF VIEW
 a) Omniscient Limited - The author tells the

story in third person (using pronouns they,
she, he, it, etc). We know only what the
character knows and what the author allows
him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts
and feelings of characters if the author
chooses to reveal them to us.
POINT OF VIEW
 b) Omniscient Objective – The author tells the
story in the third person. It appears as though a
camera is following the characters, going
anywhere, and recording only what is seen and
heard. There is no comment on the characters
or their thoughts. No interpretations are
offered. The reader is placed in the position of
spectator without the author there to explain.
The reader has to interpret events on his own.
THEME
 The THEME in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea
or its central insight. It is the author's underlying
meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey.
 The theme may be the author's thoughts about a

topic or view of human nature. The title of the short
story usually points to what the writer is saying and
he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his
theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor,
hyperbole, or irony.
THEME
 Some simple examples of common themes

from literature, TV, and film are:
- things are not always as they appear to be
- Love is blind
- Believe in yourself
- People are afraid of change
- Don't judge a book by its cover
REVIEW:
 Look over your notes. What questions do you

have about each topic? Write down 3 things
you understand, and 3 things you want to
know more about.
 Find a partner. Share your knowledge with

your partner, and ask them if they can answer
your questions. REMEMBER: There is no
such thing as a stupid question!
Sources:
 http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/eleme
nts.html#SETTING
 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/
 http://research-writing-
techniques.suite101.com/article.cfm/point_of
_view_definitions_and_examples

Elements of A Story

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What are the 5 essential parts of plot?

What are the 5 essential parts of plot?

What are the different types of point of view?

What are the different types of point of view?

Elements of a Story

 The time and location in which a story takes

 There are several aspects of a story's setting

3) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?

5) atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story?

 The PLOT is a planned, logical series of events

2) Rising Action - This is where the events in the

4) Falling action - The events and complications

5)Resolution - This is the final outcome or

1) External - A struggle with a force outside

2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a

4) Man vs. Himself/Herself - The leading character struggles with

 There are two meanings for the word

1) The person in a work of fiction.

2) The characteristics of a person.

 Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and

 Protagonist: the leading character, hero, or

 Antagonist: a person who is opposed to,

 Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle

 First Person Point of View

 Third Person Point of View

 a) Omniscient Limited - The author tells the

 The theme may be the author's thoughts about a

 Some simple examples of common themes

 Look over your notes. What questions do you

 Find a partner. Share your knowledge with

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