Elements of FictionElements of Fiction

Conflict Setting

Characte

r

Plot

Point of ViewThem

e

Conflict!

The term conflict refers to a problem or situation in a story that causes tension

until it is solved. There are several ways to describe the opposing forces

involved in such a problem..

Words to KnowProtagonist: The main character of a story. The protagonist deals with the conflict and hopefully solves it one way or the other.

Antagonist: The character in conflict with the protagonist. In a "good guy, bad guy" kind of story, the antagonist is the "bad guy". But the antagonist could also be a snowstorm or a machine.

Types of ConflictTypes of Conflict

Person vs. Person: The protagonist battles against another person, the antagonist. Example: A student at school faces a bully.

Person vs. Society: The protagonist battles against the "norm" or rules of his/her world. Example: A student stages a rally to protest the school's dress code.

External conflicts (between a person and something else)

Person vs. Nature: The protagonist battles against a force of nature.

Example: A hiker struggles to stay alive after becoming injured in the wilderness.

Person vs. Supernatural: The protagonist battles against forces not ruled by science or nature. Example: A teenager spends the night in a haunted house.

Person vs. Machine/Technology: The protagonist battles against an aspect of technology or an actual machine. Example: Humans battling robots.

Person vs. Him/Herself: The protagonist battles against mental forces.

And one Internal Conflict

Example: An athlete struggles to overcome loss of confidence after being injured.

Characters

Characters are the life of the party. We need personality in the stories we read or watch - heroes to cheer and villains to despise.

A good writer creates characters for whom we feel something. We care if they win or lose - we want to keep reading to find out which way things will go for them. We believe in them.

Direct characterization: the author tells the reader about a character's personality.

Example: Bruno was the meanest kid on the block.

Indirect characterization: The author gives the reader information about a character through ‘showing’ us the character.

Example: Every day at the bus stop Bruno knocked the little kids’ lunch pails out of their hands and dumped their food out.

Writers present characters in two ways:

Methods of Indirect CharacterizationMethods of Indirect Characterization

Speech (characters reveal themselves through their language - what they say and often how they say it)

Thought (characters reveal themselves as we "hear" them think through issues and experiences)

Actions (characters reveal themselves by what they do and how they do it)

Appearance (sometimes the way characters look reveals something about their true selves. This would include the kind of clothes a character wears)

Reputation (sometimes other characters' talk about a character reveals parts of his/her personality)

Other “character” terms to know:

Round characters exhibit a full range of personality traits. They are believable as ‘real’ people.

Flat characters are dominated by one or few traits. Characters based on stereotypes are flat characters.

Static characters do not change significantly over the course of the story

Dynamic characters go through a significant change during the course of the story.

In a well written story, the main character at least should be dynamic, should grow and learn something about him or herself - and therefore change in some way by the end of the story.

Setting

Characters are tied to the world that they live in.

That world includes: Time, Place and Atmosphere.

These elements influence the clothes characters' wear, the food they eat, the laws they obey, the social behaviors they have and the jobs they go to. The elements of setting may also influence the types of conflict the character faces.

Believable characters need a believable world to live in.

Setting is a total environment:

Time: The "when" of a story - past, present or future; the month, day, and year the story takes place - even the time of day.

Place: The "where" of a story

Atmosphere: The "climate" of a story. – Physical conditions: Is it harsh, mild, dry,

rainy, hot, snowy?– Mood or feeling: Is it tense, humorous,

nostalgic, scary? – Physical atmosphere often helps create the

mood. For example, the dark brooding approach of a thunderstorm can create tension.

Setting can be passive or active.

Passive setting is like a backdrop in front of which the action will happen. A story with a passive setting could happen just as easily in a different setting (a different town, country, etc.)

Active setting causes characters to act or react to it. A story with an active setting would be completely different if it were to happen in a different setting - in fact, it probably couldn't happen.

PlotA story can progress in many different ways.

How the events move from one to the next, drawing the characters through various levels of tension, is what makes us hold our breath, or lets us breathe out a sigh of relief. This is plot.

A good comparison is a rollercoaster. Plot is how the story goes through its ups and downs, taking us for a ride along the way.

Parts of a PlotExposition: The "introduction" of the story - the author establishes character, gives some background information, "sets the stage" for events to come.

Narrative hook: The moment where the conflict begins, and tension starts to build.

Rising action: All events which contribute more tension to the conflict.

Climax (or crisis point): A point where the protagonist is forced to deal with a conflict. The climax usually happens close to the end, although in a novel, there may be many small climaxes as the protagonist deals with small conflicts. These all lead up (as rising action) to the major climax.

Falling action: All events happening after the climax. This part of a story is usually quite short. Some short stories end with the climax and do not include falling action.

Denoument (or conclusion) : An event or events that occur due to the solving of the conflict.

A man named Gustav Freitag found that in a very simple form, a story could be represented by a triangle shape such as this, known as Frietag's pyramid:

Point of View

Who is telling the story is as important as the story itself. Depending on who is telling the story, the facts and events revealed to the reader may be different. This is due to point of view. The trick is knowing whose version of the truth is closest to what really happened...

1st person point of view - The narrator telling the story is also experiencing the story. The story is told by "I".

– The entire story is based on this one person's perception, so the reliability of the narrator is questionable.

– The reader will only be able to see, hear and experience what the narrator of the story is seeing, hearing and experiencing.

– The reader will only be able to see the narrator's thoughts.

Example: John and Sue walked toward me, hand in hand. I couldn't believe that they could be so blatantly cruel. My so-called best friend actually had the nerve to try and be nice to me after stealing my girl. Well, I was ready to tell him where he could go.

Point of View: Who is telling the story and how are they telling it?

2nd person point of view - The narrator directly addresses the reader as "you" during the storytelling.

– This can be powerful for drawing the reader into the text if used effectively, but is difficult to use in a longer piece of writing.

– It is not often used.

Example: You watch as John and Sue walk toward you, hand in hand. You can't believe that they could be so blatantly cruel. Your so-called best friend actually has the nerve to try and be nice to you after stealing your girl. Can you believe it?"

3rd person (omniscient) point of view - The narrator is like a spirit hovering over the story, who sees and knows everything, and reports it. Omniscient = All Knowing.

– The reader is informed of all the actions, thoughts and feelings of each character as these elements become important to the story.

– Narrative reliability is greater because the perspective of multiple characters is revealed.

– It is sometimes difficult for readers to connect with any one character, because each is being "visited" equally.

– It can mean that there are no surprises or secrets from the reader.

Example: "John and Sue walked toward Brian, hand in hand. John felt terrible, but needed to talk to his friend, to apologize, to explain his feelings. Brian turned away, staring into the punch bowl, not believing that they could be so blatantly cruel. His so-called best friend actually had the nerve to try and be nice after stealing his girl. Brian clenched his jaw, pushed off from the refreshment table, and turned back toward them, ready to tell John just where he could go."

3rd person (limited) point of view - offers the same detailed information as omniscient, but the "floating narrator" follows only one or two characters closely.

– This allows readers to see, hear, experience and view the thoughts of only one or two characters.

– Readers tend to connect more with the characters in this point of view.

– Because some things will be secrets from the one or two characters, they will be secrets from the reader as well.

Theme

It's the big, important idea woven into the fabric of the story. It is usually large enough so that most readers can relate to it in some way. It can be a lesson or a truth about life the way the author sees it. It is usually something the main character learns about himself or the world.

Theme is the message the author delivers to his/her readers.

Stated Theme: Sometimes the message is directly stated in a sentence, or in a moral at the story's end.

Example: Most fables have stated themes such as: "It's easy to despise what one cannot reach" from Aesop's fable of the fox and the grapes.

Implied Theme: Usually the reader has to decide for her/himself what truths or conditions of life the author was trying to show in the story. This is called an implied theme because it is never directly stated.

Example: Although it is never stated, both the fairy tales: "Little Red Riding Hood", and "Snow White", imply a message about dealing with strangers, such as "Strangers are not to be trusted."

The End

And now, you know all there is to know about the elements of fiction.

Happy Reading!

Created by Barbara Bureker

© 2007