Elements of a Story

SETTINGThe setting is the time and location in which

the story takes place.Sometimes the setting is very important. Other times, it is not. There are five different aspects of the setting to consider.

Five Aspects of Settinga. Place

geographical location where the action of the story is taking place

Five Aspects of Settingb. Time

when the story is taking place (historical period, time of day, season of year, etc.)

Five Aspects of Settingc. Weather Conditions

type of weather and climate throughout the story (rainy, stormy, sunny, etc.)

Five Aspects of Settingd. Social Conditions

the daily life of the characters, the local color (speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc.)

Five Aspects of Settinge. Mood or Atmosphere

the feeling created at the beginning of the story (happy, cheerful, scary, dark, etc.)

PLOTThe plot is the way the writer arranges the

sequence of events in the story. Generally, stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There are five important parts of the plot.

Five Parts of Plot1. Introduction (Exposition)

the beginning of the story where the setting, characters, and conflict are introduced

Five Parts of Plot2. Rising Action

the events that occur as the story becomes more complicated and the conflict is revealed

Five Parts of Plot3. Climax

the highest point of interest and the turning point in the story

Five Parts of Plot4. Falling Action

after the climax as the events and the characters begin to resolve themselves, the conflict is resolved

Five Parts of Plot5. Denouement (Resolution)

the final outcome or untangling of events in the story

CONFLICTEvery story must have a conflict. Without a

conflict, there is no plot. It is the opposition of forces that makes the plot move. A conflict is opposition to the main character. There may be more than one conflict in a story. Usually, there is one major conflict. There are two types of conflict and four kinds of conflict.

Two Types of Conflict1. External

a struggle between a character and an outside force (another character, nature, society, fate, etc.)

Two Types of Conflict2. Internal

a struggle between a character and him or herself within the character’s mind

Four Kinds of Conflict1. Man vs. Man

the leading character struggles against another character, a force of nature, or animals

Four Kinds of Conflict2. Man vs. Circumstances

the leading character struggles against fate or the circumstances of life facing him or her

Four Kinds of Conflict3. Man vs. Society

the leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of society

Four Kinds of Conflict4. Man vs. Him or Herself

the leading character struggles against him or herself (within his or her soul, with his or her ideas of right and wrong, against physical limitations, etc.)

CHARACTERSThe characters are the actors in the story

(people, animals, etc.). There are two types of characters and three states of characters.

Two Types of Charactersa. Protagonist

the main character in the story, almost all events are somehow connected to the protagonist

Two Types of Charactersb. Antagonist

the person in conflict with the main character

Three States of Characters1. Individual

a character with a round, many-sided, complex personality

Three States of Characters2. Developing

a character who changes, for better or worse, throughout the story

Three States of Characters3. Static

a character who fits a stereotype and never changes (drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc.)

POINT OF VIEWThe point of view is the angle from which the

story is told. There are three main types of point of view we will see.

Three Types of Point of View1. First Person

the story is told by one character; the reader sees the story through the character’s eyes as the character experiences it; and the reader only knows how the narrator feels about things

Three Types of Point of View2. Stream of Consciousness

the story is told so the reader feels as if he or she is inside the mind of one of the characters and knows all the character’s thoughts and reactions

Three Types of Point of View3. Omniscientthe story is told from a narrator who is not in the

story, and the narrator describes all the characters and the action from the outside

a. Limited – only knows what one character knows

b. Objective – knows everything going on but offers no opinions, reader must form his or her own opinions

THEMEThe theme is the main idea that the writer is

trying to convey in the story. Usually, it is something that can be applied to life. Sometimes it is stated directly in the story. Other times, the reader must think about what the writer was trying to say.

THEMEExamples?

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

What goes around comes around.

Let sleeping dogs lie.

Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.