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Elements of Fiction - Week 1

The document discusses the key elements of fiction including plot, setting, characters, point of view, style and tone, and theme. It provides details on each element: plot explores the narrative stages and types of structures; setting establishes the time and place; characters can be major or minor; point of view can be first, third limited or omniscient; style and tone are created through word choice and devices; and theme is the overall message or idea. Examples are given for many elements to illustrate their use in stories.

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Le Tuyet Nhi
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58 views15 pages

Elements of Fiction - Week 1

The document discusses the key elements of fiction including plot, setting, characters, point of view, style and tone, and theme. It provides details on each element: plot explores the narrative stages and types of structures; setting establishes the time and place; characters can be major or minor; point of view can be first, third limited or omniscient; style and tone are created through word choice and devices; and theme is the overall message or idea. Examples are given for many elements to illustrate their use in stories.

Uploaded by

Le Tuyet Nhi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Elements of Fiction

Aims:
- Identify and discuss elements of fiction e.g plot, setting, viewpoint,
characterisation etc.
- Use elements of fiction in your own short piece of writing
Elements of Fiction

6 Key Elements of Fiction


● Plot
● Setting
● Characters
● Point of view
● Style + Tone
● Theme

Prevalent elements of dystopian fiction: Setting,


symbolism, conflict + character development (main
character v government), foreshadowing,
pessimistic tone
Plot
Plot is the author’s sequence of events in the story. The plot must have a beginning, middle
and end. More specifically, the plot will usually follow the Freytag Pyramid.
Plot: Narrative Stages
● Exposition/Introduction
● Initial incident
● Rising Action
● Climax
● Falling action
● Resolution
● Denouement/Ending
Plot in ‘Carrie’
Types of plot structure
The events in the story can be presented in varying orders:

Linear: chronological order; the events follow a regular time development with the basic
beginning, middle and end sequence

Non-linear: non-chronological order; some stories begin at the end of the events and then
progressively develop an explanation as to why and how things developed as they did. Some stories
may begin in the middle of the events.
Flashback
● Flashback is a literary technique used by the
author that breaks up the chronological flow of
a story to go back in time and describe an
earlier event.
● Flashbacks can add depth to a character and
their development, therefore making the readers
more connected to the character.
Foreshadowing
● Foreshadowing is when the author provides clues and hints to something that is
going to happen later in the story
● For example, the dialogue may be foreboding ‘I have a bad feeling about this’
● Symbolism like blood, menstruation or the color red - foreshadowing violence or
danger
● Setting and description such as gathering clouds, thunder, high winds or, in
contrast, clearing skies
Conflict

Conflict is the struggle between two forces in the plot.


External conflict:
● protagonist v antagonist
● protagonist v government
● protagonist v nature
● protagonist v technology
Internal conflict:
● a conflict with the self e.g emotions, desires, needs etc.
Setting
Setting is the place and time of the story and events. The location, historical setting, time
of day, weather, social and cultural surroundings. Setting is vital for creating the tone of
the story.
Characters
The characters are the people, animals, beings or creatures that are within the story.
Major characters
- protagonist: the main character who the story and conflict revolves around.
- antagonist: the character(s) who oppose or create the conflict for the protagonist.
Minor characters
- The other characters in the story. The are not central but they help to drive the plot forward

Two-dimensional (round) characters


- Complex characters with different traits who are more interesting and usually have
character development
One-dimensional (flat) characters
- One or two traits, usually good or bad
Point of View (POV)
Point of View is the narrative perspective from which the story is told.

First-person: uses the first-person pronouns ‘I’, ‘we’

Example: ‘I don’t know how much time had passed. Probably not so long, but it seemed
like forever - time driving me to the very edge of the world.’

Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

Third-person: uses pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘his’, ‘her’, ‘they’


Third-Person Point of View
Types of third-person narrators:

Omniscient: a ‘God’s Eye View’ that is ‘all-knowing’, the narrator has insight into and observes all of the
character’s actions, thoughts and feelings ‘Odenigbo was nervous as he followed Olanna and she could feel
his eyes burning into her back.’

Limited-omniscient: the narrator conveys the perspective one a single character and can only allow insight
into their emotions, not any other characters

‘Odenigbo was nervous as he followed Olanna, who walked ahead silently.’

Objective/Dramatic Point of View: ‘fly on the way’ narrator simply observes, and does not convey how
the character thinks and feels.

‘Odenigbo followed Olanna as she walked ahead in silence.’


Style + Tone
Style

- the way the author writes and tells the story and how the narrative “voice” is created.
- Style is created through use of word choice(diction), sentence structure(syntax) and descriptive and
figurative language such as imagery, metaphor, simile, personification etc.
- For example, George Orwell writes with long and often complex sentences, with use of elaborate word choice.
Contrasting to Orwell’s style, Ernest Hemingway wrote with a very simplistic style, conveyed through his
short sentences and simple word choice

Tone

- the attitude of the narrator toward to subject or reader


- how the writing sounds and the mood that is created e.g happy, sad, thoughtful, humorous, sarcastic.
- tone is created through the use of literary devices such as symbolism, word choice, description
Theme
Theme refers to the main idea of the story and its purpose.

Often, the author will not explicitly reveal the theme of the story

Some questions to ask when analysing theme:

- What is the author’s purpose for writing the story?


- What lesson or message does the author want us to take away from the story?
- Has anything been revealed to you about the human condition and human experience?

The title could act as a clue when trying to understand the theme of a story e.g Things Fall Apart - the
novella explores the effects of early British colonialism in Nigeria and the subsequent ‘falling apart’
of the traditional culture there

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