The Elements of Fiction

Settingthe time, place, and general

environment in which a piece of fiction occurs

Functions

…makes fiction more credible/believable

…to establish mood

…to illuminate/highlight a character• setting can be similar to a character• setting can contrast with a character

…to provide a source of conflict

All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan

Answer the following questions in your RS– Is the setting established briefly or in great detail?

Explain.– Is the time and place clearly defined or is it vague and

unclear?– Does the writer give you clues to the setting? If so,

what are they?– Is the setting important in this story? Could the story

be successful without the setting? Could the story take place somewhere else?

– How does it establish mood? What is the mood?

Characterization

the method an author uses to get the reader to know the characters

the act of creating and developing the characters

development of characters

Techniques of Characterization

1.Speech - look at what a character says to other characters

2.Thought - look at what a character thinks; this tells us more than what he/she just says

3.Actions - look at what a character does

4.Appearance - look at the way a character appears/dresses/looks; may reveal personality

5.Conversation of others - look at what other characters say about a character

6.Author’s direct comments - the author tells you what you should think/know about the character(s)

Character Web for Russell from “No Gumption”

Russell

Lazy

Salesman for the SEP

A Writer

No Gumption

Feels Rejected

A Boy Called Slow by Joseph Bruchac

What do we learn about Slow through his speech? his thoughts? his actions? his appearance? the conversation of others? the author’s direct comments?

Plot

the sequence of events that make up a story

Three different time orders…

– chronological

– flashback

– interweaving

Story Pattern of the Plot

Exposition

Rising Action

Climax

Resolution/Denouement

 

Four Conflicts

man v himself

man v man

man v environment

man v supernatural 

Foreshadowing

points or hints toward future eventsbuilds tension or suspenseprepares readers to predict or anticipate

future events

Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

– Did the author use chronological, flashback, or interweaving order?

– Make a chart and list events in the Exposition; Rising Action; Climax; Resolution/Denouement.

– What was the conflict? How do you know?• man v himself• man v man• man v environment• man v supernatural

– Was there foreshadowing? Was the plot completely resolved? Does the tension continue?

Exposition

• Parents go out for night

• Peter and Judy get bored

• Find Jumanji at park

• Instructions say game MUST end once it is started

Rising Action

• Peter rolls, and lion attacks• Wants to quit, Judy says, “No.”• Judy rolls, and monkeys appear in kitchen• Peter causes monsoon season to begin• Guide gets lost when Judy rolls• Peter gets sleeping sickness• Rhinos stampede on Judy’s turn• Peter wakes up, and rolls; python appears• Volcano erupts causing steam to fill room

Climax

• Judy gets free roll with shortcut

• She gets two sixes

• Slams piece on board and yells, “JUMANJI!”

• Everything disappears

• Kids put game in box

• Game is placed back under tree

Resolution/Denouement

• Parents wake up kids

• Get ready for dinner

• Talk with Mrs. Budwing

• Daniel and Walter are seen with box in park

• Hmmm???

Man v…

Himself?Man?Environment?Supernatural?

Point of View

the vantage point or perspective

from which fiction is told

TypesFirst Person or PersonalFirst Person ObserverThird Person or Omniscient

Symbol

anything that stands for or represents an idea or something else

a shortcut to meaning

Two Types of Symbols

Conventional – universally agreed upon ideas

Created – author creates it him/herself

Fly Away Homeby Eve Bunting

• From what point of view was the story told? How do you know?

• What is a symbol from the story? What does it represent? Is it conventional or created?

Fly Away Homeby Eve Bunting

• How important was settingsetting in the story?

• Which of the six techniques of characterizationcharacterization were used?

• What was the climaxclimax of the story?

• What was the major conflictconflict? How do we know?

Mood

feeling/atmosphere created by a piece of fiction

the emotional charge of a piece of fiction

Mood is created by– plot.– characters.– setting.– author’s word choice.

The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allsburg

Answer the following questions in your RS: How would you describe the moodmood? How is the moodmood set by the plot?

characters? setting? What was the climaxclimax of the story? What was the conflictconflict?

Theme

the central messagecentral message, concern, or purpose of a work of fiction

– not a summary of the plot– stimulates the intellect– may be

• stated (the author tells you)• implied (you have to figure it out on your

own)

The Wretched Stoneby Chris Van Allsburg

Answer the following questions in your RS: What is the symbolsymbol in the book? What

does it represent? Is it conventionalconventional or createdcreated?

What is the themetheme? Is it stated or implied?

Tone/Voice

the writer’s attitude

toward his/her audience and subject

Tone is identified by things the author points out. words the author uses. how the author writes the fiction.

The Three Pigsby David Weisner

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigsby Scieszka & Smith

• How would you describe the tonetone of each book?

• What did the author point out? What words did he/she use? How did he/she write the story?

• How could you change the tonetone to make the story different?