ELEMENTS OF FICTION

Foldable Activity

Foldable Instructions

1. Fold your sheet of cardstock hotdog style.

2. Draw 5 lines horizontally across the paper to

divide it into 6 sections.

3. You should have 6 flaps on your foldable when

finished.

4. Cut along those 5 lines to make flaps that open on

the front side of your foldable.

DO NOT CUT THROUGH THE BACK!!!!

Label your sections in this order:

Setting

Characters

Plot

Conflict

Theme

Point of View

What is a SHORT STORY?

The short story is a work of fiction that is

shorter and more limited than a novel.

It usually focuses on one important event

in the lives of a small number of central

characters.

Short Stories vary in length but are

usually short enough to be read in one

sitting.

SETTING

Time and place of the action that occurs in the story.

Setting Examples

Place

Where the action of the story taking place.

Time

Past/present/future, time of day, year etc.

Weather Conditions

Rainy, sunny, stormy.

Social Conditions

Daily life of character, speech, dress, mannerisms, customs.

Mood & Atmosphere

Feeling of the story, is it bright, cheerful, dark, or frightening.

CHARACTER

A person or animal who takes part in the story

Often given human characteristics

Two Types PROTAGONIST

The main character of the story with

all major events having some

importance to this character.

ANTAGONIST

The opposite of

the main character.

Types of Characters

A character who changes or

grows throughout the story

A character that does not change

in the story

Dynamic Characters Static Characters

PLOT – Sequence of related events in a story

Exposition

The beginning of the story where characters and the setting are revealed.

Rising action

All of the events IN ORDER leading up to the climax

Climax

The highest point of the story, the reader wonders what will happen next . . .

will the conflict be resolved or not.

Falling action

How the climax is resolved

Resolution

Final outcome or untangling of events in the story

How the story ends

Plot Diagram

A plot diagram shows how the main events in a

short story are organized.

CONFLICT – Struggle between 2 opposing forces

A struggle with a force

outside one’s self

Another person, bad

weather, an animal, etc.

A struggle with one’s self

A person must make some

decision, overcome pain,

quiet a temper, resist an

urge.

External Conflict Internal Conflict

4 Types of Conflict

Man vs. Man

Physical - leading

character struggles with his

physical strength against

other men, or animals.

Man vs. Nature

Leading character

struggles against fate, or

circumstances of life

facing him/her, or forces

of nature.

Man vs. Self Psychological - leading

character struggles with their

own ideas of right or wrong,

physical limitations or

choices.

Man vs. Society Character struggles against

what is acceptable to

others in a community or

culture.

The message the author intends to communicate . . . Main idea.

The controlling idea or central insight of the author’s underlying

meaning that he is trying to convey.

EXAMPLE:

Love is Blind

Believe in yourself

People are afraid of change

Don’t judge a book by its cover

THEME

POINT OF VIEW

The vantage point from which the story is told.

1st Person A character tells the story through his/her eyes.

It uses the first person pronoun "I."

3rd Person The narrator is all-knowing . . . they can tell the

reader everything.

The reader is able to see all of the characters' points of view.

It uses the third person pronouns: he, she, they, etc.