1) SETTING



FIVE ELEMENTS OF FICTION Name ________________

1) SETTING

Setting is the time and location in which a story takes place. For some stories, the setting is very important, while for others, it is not. Imagine a painting. The background images in the painting are like a story’s setting.

Aspects of Setting (some or all may be present in a story):

| |Where is the action of the story taking place? Location. There are many parts of a story’s location to consider, from very |

| |general, to very specific. |

| |( |

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| |When is the story taking place? There are many “times” to consider: |

| | ( Historical time period/year |

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| | ( |

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| | ( |

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|WEATHER | |

|CONDITIONS |( precipitation ( |

| | |

| |( ( |

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| |( ( |

| | |

| |( ( |

|MOOD | |

| | |

| | |

As you read, ask yourself, how do each of the above elements contribute to the story?

Good authors establish a memorable “put you right there” setting through vivid sensory details. The five senses are:

1. 4.

2. 5.

3.

2) CHARACTER

Persons in a work of fiction:

| |Central character most important to the story. All major events in the story are important to this person. |

| |Who or what the protagonist struggles against. The antagonist is typically a person, but it can also be nature, the|

| |environment, etc. |

Characterization There are 2 different ways a writer reveals the personality of a character and makes that character seem real.

is where the author comes right out and tells the audience what the personality of the character is.

Example: “The patient boy and quiet girl were both well-mannered.”

Explanation: The author is directly telling the audience the personality of these two children. The boy is “patient” and the girl is “quiet.”

shows things that reveal the personality of a character. There are five different methods of indirect characterization (see below):

|Speech | |

| |What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts, feelings, and dreams? |

| |What is revealed through how others in the story feel or behave because of the character? What do others say about the |

| |character? |

| |What does the character do (or not do)? How does he/she behave? What drives him/her to act the way he/she does? |

|Looks | |

See the next page for an example of indirect characterization.

Indirect Characterization Example

Here’s an excerpt from the short story called “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien.

The main character is thinking back to when he was an eighteen year old fleeing to Canada to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War. He traveled through northern Minnesota on his way to Canada and met a man who owned an old lake resort.

How does O’Brien characterize the old man (reveals his personality-- makes him seem real)?

“Even after two decades I can close my eyes and return to that porch at the Tip Top Lodge. I can see the old guy staring at me. Elroy Berdahl: eighty-one years old, skinny and shrunken and mostly bald. He wore a flannel shirt and brown work pants. In one hand, I remember, he carried a green apple, a small paring knife in the other. His eyes had the bluish gray color of a razor blade, the same polished shine, and as he peered up at me I felt a strange sharpness, almost painful, a cutting sensation, as if his gaze were somehow slicing me open… At times I felt the awkwardness of an intruder, but Elroy accepted me into his quiet routine without fuss or ceremony. He took my presence for granted, the same way he might’ve sheltered a stray cat—no wasted sighs or pity—and there was never any talk about it. Just the opposite. What I remember more than anything is the man’s willful, almost ferocious silence. In all that time together, all those hours, he never asked the obvious questions: Why was I there? Why alone? Why so preoccupied? If Elroy was curious about any of this, he was careful never to put it into words.”

1. Using the colors stated below, underline each method of characterization in the paragraph above.

2. Below, without quoting directly from above, describe how the author builds this character.

Elroy’s Speech =

(purple)

Elroy’s Thoughts =

(green)

Elroy’s Effect on Tim (how Tim acts because of Elroy) =

(yellow)

Elroy’s Actions =

(blue)

Elroy’s Looks =

(orange)

Additional questions to ask about a character:

Why do the characters act the way they do? Is it due to either of these below (or both?)?

| |They were born that way. |

| |Their life circumstances and upbringing made them that way. |

3) PLOT

If the author writes:

( “The king died and then the queen died,” there is NO plot for the story.

But by writing:

( “The king died and then the queen died of grief,” the writer has provided a plot line for a story.

Action by itself is not plot.

Action that changes the consequences of the story and the ending is plot.

A plot is a cause and effect series of events— the “why” for the events that happen.

Like a builder of a house, the story builder (author) follows a plan when s/he builds a story. That plan or pattern is called PLOT.

Six Parts of Plot – in this order:

| |Introduces the setting, main characters, and information about events that existed before the story actually begins.|

| |Usually it is given away that the main character wants something. |

| | |

|Introduction of Conflict | |

|AKA: Narrative Hook | |

| |Parts of story are slowly revealed. The story becomes complicated as the characters react to the conflict. Usually |

| |the focus is on the struggle of the main character to achieve what he/she wants. Suspense builds. |

| |The highest point of interest, tension, and suspense. It’s the turning point—where the outcome of the story is |

| |determined. It usually works like this: |

| | |

| |Main character receives new information |

| |Accepts this information (realizes it but may not agree with it) |

| |Acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine whether or not s/he gets what s/he wants) |

| | |

|Falling action | |

| | |

| |Major conflict and minor complications are settled and/or clarified. |

LABEL the SIX PARTS of

the PLOT DIAGRAM:

CONFLICT (part of PLOT)

Conflict (problems the characters face) is essential to plot. Without conflict, there is no plot. Conflict is not limited to open arguments. Any form of struggle the protagonist (main character) faces is conflict. Characters often face one main conflict as well as many minor ones.

Kinds of Conflict

| |The main character struggles with a force(s)__________ him/herself. |

| | |

| |Type 1) Person vs. Person: The leading character struggles against other men, forces of nature, or animals. |

| |Ex: |

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| |Type 2) Person vs. Circumstances: The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her. |

| | |

| |Ex: |

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| |Type 3) Person vs. Society: The leading character struggles against the way things are usually done or how others expect |

| |him/her to act. |

| | |

| |Ex: |

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| |A struggle ___________ the main character. |

| | |

| |Type 1) Person vs. Self: Leading character must make some decision, overcome pain, resist an urge, decide between right and |

| |wrong, overcome physical limitations, etc. |

| | |

| |Ex: |

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DRAW and LABEL a PLOT DIAGRAM:

4) POINT OF VIEW

Point of view is the kind of ______________ the author chooses to tell the story.

Three Main Points of View (or, Three Types of Narrators)

| |The main character is telling the story from his/her perspective. Pronouns like “I,” “me,” “my,” and “our,” are |

| |commonly used. It is hard to trust this type of narration, as what the narrator is saying might not be the total|

| |truth. |

| |The story is told by someone other than the characters in the story. The narrator does not participate in the |

| |action of the story. The author generally uses pronouns like “he,” “she,” and “they.” |

| |The story is told by someone who can see and feel the characters’ thoughts and emotions. This type of narrator |

| |has the power to go into the characters’ minds. An all-knowing narrator. |

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|Pronunciation: | |

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Ask yourself, Why did the author make the choice to have a certain kind of narrator? Am I getting the whole truth?

5) THEME

The theme is:

◘ The author’s deep underlying meaning. What _________ ___________ should readers walk away with?

◘

◘ An explanation of what happens in the story and ___________ _______ _________________.

Some examples of common themes

◘ Things are not always as they appear to be

◘

◘ Believe in yourself

◘

◘

To find the theme of a story, the reader must ask these questions:

◘ What was the story’s ______________________________?

◘ What insight into _____________ _________________ and ___________ does it reveal?

◘ What are the details and symbols in the story? What greater meaning may they have?

Other things to remember about theme:

◘ It is left for _______________, _________ _______________ to figure it out.

◘ It does not have to teach a moral or lesson but should give the reader ___________________ _____ ________________ _____________ .

◘ Not all stories have a theme. For example, the purpose of a horror story may be simply to scare the reader.

◘ A story can have _______________ __________ ________ theme.

◘ Various literary devices emphasize the theme (symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, irony).

PLOT = WHAT HAPPENED (OBSERVATIONS)

THEME = WHAT CAN THE READER (INFERENCES)

LEARN FROM THE STORY?

OTHER LITERARY TECHNIQUES

FORESHADOWING: giving hints to the reader about what is to happen next

FLASHBACK: the author interrupts the story to go back in time to add scenes or information. It helps the reader understand what is happening in the present

IRONY: the opposite of what is expected to happen. Either a statement may have an opposite meaning, or an outcome of events may be the opposite of those hoped for or expected.

Always remember to examine the fictional story’s title. The title will almost always have deeper meaning. The author chose the title for a very distinct reason. What is it?

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1) Direct Characterization

2) Indirect Characterization

EVERY well-written fiction story will contain these six parts of plot.

A theme is NEVER a one-word answer.

Start with a one-word answer, and then ask yourself, “What about it?”

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