Elements of a Novel

Characters Protagonist Antagonist Dynamic Static Round Flat

Characterization – how readers learn about characters

Direct what the

author tells us about the character’s personality

Indirect what the

character …› does › says › thinks

what the other characters say about him or her

CharacterizationShow and Tell

Indirect ShowPeter was bored with the TV show, but the remote control was across the room, so he just watched it anyway. Jan would be in soon, and she could fetch the remote control for him then.

Direct TellPeter was very

lazy, and would never do more than was absolutely necessary.

PlotThe sequence of events

PlotClimax: the turning point, the most intense moment—either mentally or in action

Rising Action: the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax

Exposition: the start of the story, the situation before the action starts

Resolution: the conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads

Setting time and placeFunctions of setting: background for action establishing the mood or

atmosphere developing the main

character setting as antagonist emphasizing the theme

Irony Isn’t it ironic?Type Definition Example

Verbal the contrast between what is said and what is meant. • Sarcasm

• Way to go, genius!• Great! I failed!

Situational the contrast between what happens and what was expected. • is often humorous (ex. when a prank backfires on the prankster)

Dramatic the contrast between what the character thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know to be true.  • Sometimes we know more than what a character knows.  Because we know something they don’t, we read to see how the character will react when he or she learns the truth what we know.

Criminal Minds.When we know “who did it” and the investigators don’t.

Or

When we know a character is walking into a prank.

Tone Author’s attitude toward the subjectMood feeling or atmosphereAuthor’s Purpose the author’s reason for writing

ConflictInternal Human v. self

External Human v. human Human v. society Human v. nature Human v. fate Human v. technology Human v. supernatural

Conflict

3rd Objective• The narrator is outside of

the story looking in.• But he/she can only report

what they see and hear for themselves.

1st Person• The narrator is a

character in the story.

Point of view

3rd Limited• The narrator is outside of the story looking in.• He/she can report• what they see and here for themselves• And the thoughts and actions of one character

3rd Omniscient• The narrator is outside of the story looking in.• He/she can report• what they see and hear for themselves• And the thoughts and actions of all of the characters

3rd Objective

She and her sister went to the store; the cashier was helpful.

1st Person My sister and I went to the store!

Point of view

3rd LimitedShe and her sister went to the store and she thought the cashier was friendly.

3rd Omniscient She and her sister went to the store; they both thought the cashier was friendly. The stock boy was working in the back while they shopped.

Theme a statement about life that the

author is communicating through the selection. It is the message that unifies the work. Main idea of the work.› Stated obvious or clear themes.

Sometimes the author tells us the lesson character learned in life.

› Implied Reader must use clues in the story to find the theme

› Universal Themes that are common to most human situations

Symbolism

Author’s Purpose

Flashback

Foreshadowing

His or her reason for writing – to entertain, to inform, to persuade, etc.

An scene from the past interjected into the current plotline

A hint of things to come

Imagery Words that help the reader experience

the work by letting them sense it. Taste Touch Hear Smell Sight

(Can be metaphors, similes, puns, etc.) This is BORING without IMAGERY Grandmother Workman reached over and grabbed her grandson's arm. He was nervous because the staircase was so steep, but she leaned against him and they began to climb.

So let’s add Imagery

Grandmother Workman lurched over and grabbed the pale skin of Randal's thin forearm with her leathery hand. The folds and creases beneath her skin coiled themselves out like electrical wiring, like the bloated, roughly-textured relief map of the world that his mother just posted above his bedside table. Randal looked ahead toward the winding spiral staircase, fidgeted with a small hole in his baseball jersey, and bit his lip. His mouth filled with the sweet, coppery taste of blood as she leaned in closely toward him, breathing her hot breath on the damp hair at the base of his neck. She smelled of wet cigarettes and bacon. As they slowly climbed the long, steep staircase, the only sound was his grandmothers' labored breathing and the mournful creak of the wooden stairs.