the four parts to a story all secrets revealed i. setting –time –time: when in history the story...
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The Four Parts to a The Four Parts to a StoryStory
All Secrets RevealedAll Secrets Revealed
I. Setting
– TimeTime: when in history the story takes place• Also includes over what time frame the story
takes place.
– PlacePlace: where the story takes place– Social ConditionsSocial Conditions: daily life of the
characters• Social Class• Gender• Education Level• Occupation/s• Mental/Physical Disabilities
II. Characterization• Types of Characters:Types of Characters:• ProtagonistProtagonist: main person in the story
– May or my not be a hero• person on a quest for truth, beauty, or to
save his/her society.
• AntagonistAntagonist: causes the conflicts/obstacles in opposition to the protagonist
– May or may not be a villain• does evil for evil’s sake
• Anti-heroAnti-hero: a character with some of the qualities of a villain, up to and including brutality, pessimism, and heartlessness, but with the motivations of a typical hero
• Supporting CharacterSupporting Character: fairly important, but not a leading character
• Flat: a character w/out much development, usually a minor one
• Round: a character with great development, usually a major one
• Static: a character that does not change throughout the course of story
• Dynamic: a character that changes throughout the course of a story
• Stock: basically a stereotype
Character LabelsCharacter Labels – Applies to all types of characters
Four Ways to Find Character Traits
1. Physical description of
character
2. What the character does/does
not do
3. What the character says/thinks
4. What others say about the
character
III. Conflict• Definition – struggle between two opposing
forces
• Internal– Character vs. Self: Outside elements cause tension
within a character.• The character may have to struggle against a personality defect
or struggle spiritually or emotionally.
• External– Character vs. Character– Character vs. Nature– Character vs. Society
• A character struggles with a group of people or a belief system held by his/her society.
– Character vs. Science/Technology
IV. Plot
A
B
C
D
E
- The events of a story in sequence
A. Exposition• Characters are introduced. • Setting is established. • Introduced to the main conflict (main problem).• Add all 3 = Add all 3 = Mood or AtmosphereMood or Atmosphere: feeling that
is created at the beginning of a story
Inciting Incident/Action/Force
Something happens that gets the action moving, usually in the first three chapters of a novel or the first act of a play.
B. Rising Action• Event that begins to develop the main conflict(s)
C. Climax• Turning point of the story
– Usually the main character comes face to face with a conflict.
– The main character will change in some way.
D. Falling Action
• Loose ends of the plot are tied up. – Consequences of the
climax
• The conflict(s) and climax are taken care of.
E. Final Crisis
• Sometimes called mini climax
• Occurs mainly in plays and novels, but not a requirement
• Final test/challenge/moment of suspense that will test the morality of the protagonist and supporting characters
E. Dénouement or Resolution• The story comes to a
reasonablereasonable ending.– “Reasonable” is
determined by what makes sense based on the events of the story up to this point.
• By studying all four of these elements, one can conclude a theme or themes that the author has created.– ThemeTheme: a major idea that an author develops
in his/her writing; written in a declarative sentence
• Can include:– Moral lesson– Comment author is making on society
Genres of Literature• GenreGenre: type of literary work
– Fiction• Novel • Short story• Play• Folktales/Fables
– Fiction can be further divided into:A. Realistic – every day situations B. Gothic – supernatural elementsC. Fantasy – supernatural elements plus supernatural creatures
and settingsD. Science Fiction – heavy on technology; usually set in the
futureE. Comedy – humorous situations; positive ending for the
protagonist
– Nonfiction • Essay
– Narrative– Persuasive
• Article in newspaper or magazine • Biography• Autobiography/Memoir• Journal• Letter• Speech
– Poetry