Setting

The time and location in which a story takes place.

There are several aspects of a story’s setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a story:

Place

A geographical location

Where is the action of the story taking place?

Time

When the story is taking place

(historical period, time of day, time of year, etc)

Weather conditions

Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?

What is the weather like in the story?

Social Conditions

What is the daily life of the character’s like?

Mood or Atmosphere

What feeling is creating at the beginning of the story?

Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?

Setting is creating through:

LANGUAGE

PlotHow the author arranges events to develop

his/her basic idea.

It is the sequence of events in a story or play.

Introduction

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

where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed

Rising Action

Climax

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

Falling Action

The events and complications begin to resolve themselves

Conclusion(Denouement )

This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.

Other Plot Elements

Inciting Moment: the idea or event that introduces the conflict in the story.

Complications: obstacles that complicate the situations for the characters, primarily the protagonist.

Characters and Characterization

There are two meaning for the word character:

1) The person in a work of fiction.

2) The characteristics of a person.

Persons in a work of fiction:

Protagonist: Central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character.

Antagonist: The opposer of the main character

The Characteristics of a Person

The characters must seem real to the reader for the story to seem real.

Characterization: the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves.

The author may reveal a characteristic in several ways:

A) His/her physical appearance

B) What he/ she says, thinks, feels and dreams

C) What he/she does or does not do

D) What other say about him/ her and how others react to him/her

Characters are convincing if they are:

1) Consistent

2) Motivated

3) Life-like

Direct and Indirect Characterization

Direct Characterization: what the writer directly states what kind of person the character is.

Indirect Characterization: what we learn about the character through the storyEx:-through character speech-through physical appearance-character’s private thoughts-what other characters say or feel about the character-what the character does or does not do

Point of View

The angle from which the story is told.

Innocent Eye

The story is told through the eyes of a child.

Stream of Consciousness

The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are inside the head of the

character

First Person

The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters.

Omniscient

“All seeing” the narrator sees all the action and knows what all the characters think and

feel

Omniscient Limited

Told in the 3rd person, but we only know what the characters know

Omniscient Objective

Told in the 3rd person. It appears as through a camera, recording only what is seen and heard.

Conflict

The opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move.

There are two types of conflict:

External: a struggle with a force outside of one’s self.

Internal: a struggle within one’s self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, etc.

Thereare

fourtypes

ofConflict

They are…

Man vs. Man( physical)

The leading character struggles with his physical/ mental strength against

other men.

Ulrich vs. GeorgFrom: “The Interlopers”

Man vs. Nature(physical)

The leading character struggles against natural forces of nature or

animals.

Eckels vs. the DinosaurFrom: “A Sound of Thunder”

Man vs. Society(social)

A character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other

people.

Roger vs. law against stealingFrom: “Thank You M’am”

Man vs. Himself/Herself(psychological)

A character struggles with himself/ herself; with his/her own soul; ideas

of right or wrong, choices.

The Sniper vs. The SniperFrom: “The Sniper”

Now, let’s connect the idea of

Conflictwith the story

“The Most Dangerous Game”

Please tell me what KIND and TYPE of conflict is depicted in the

following quotes and picture slides

from the story:

“They had come from the right, and doggedly he swam in that direction, swimming with slow, deliberate strokes, conserving his strength. For a seemingly endless time he fought the sea. pg. 15

External Rainsford vs. Nature

“Rainsford had fought his way through the bush for two hours. “I must keep my nerve. I must keep my nerve,” he said through tight teeth.

Internal Rainsford vs. Rainsford

“Dusk came, then darkness, and still he pressed on. The ground grew softer under his moccasins; the vegetation grew ranker, denser, insects bit him savagely.” pg. 26

External Rainsford vs. Jungle

“Then, as he stepped forward, his foot sank into the ooze. He tried to wrench it back, but the muck sucked viciously as his foot as if it were a giant leech… He knew where he was now. Death Swamp with its quicksand.” pg. 26

External Rainsford vs. Quicksand

“The general made one of his deepest bows. ‘I see,’ he said. ‘Spendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard. Rainsford….” pg. 28

External Rainsford vs. General Zaroff

“I have electricity. We try to be civilized here.” said General Zaroff. “Civilized? And you shoot down men?” pg. 22

External General Zaroff vs. Society