ELEMENTS OF FICTION

A. CHARACTERS
-persons, animals or things that portray roles in the story.
-the representation of a human being; persons involved in a conflict.

In order for the story to seem real to the readers, its characters must seem real.

Characterization is the information the author gives the readers about the characters.

The author may reveal a character in the following ways:

-his/her physical appearance
-what he/she says, thinks, feel and dreams of
-what he/she does or does not do
-what others say about him/her
-how others react to him/her

Types of Characters

1. Round character
-a dynamic character who recognizes changes in the circumstances.
-a fully developed character with many traits – bad and good – shown in the story.
-more complex, has depth and emotion

JK Rowling develops Harry Potter as a round character throughout the series. The readers learn much about Harry –
his background, his feelings, and how his parents’ deaths link him to Voldemort.

2. Flat character
-also known as the stock or the stereotype character who does not grow and develop.
Others:
Protagonist – hero/heroine
Antagonist – villain; a foil to the protagonist
Deuteragonist – secondary character
Fringe – one who is destroyed by his inner conflict

B. Setting– time and place in which a story happens.

a. place – geographical location (a country, town, city or any specific location)

b. time – historical period (example: World War II)

- time of day (example: One afternoon…)

- year (example: In 1979…)
- “Once upon a time, in a faraway land…”
c. weather condition – Is it rainy, sunny or stormy, etc.?
d. social conditions – What is the daily life of the characters like? (example: When women were not yet
allowed to vote…)
e. mood or atmosphere –
What feeling is shown at the beginning of the story? (example: One frightening night…)

C. Conflict
-the struggle or complication involving the characters, the opposition of persons or forces upon which the action
depends in drama or fiction.
-the problem that the main character faces.
Without conflict, there is no plot.

Types of Conflict

1. Internal Conflict (Man vs Self)

-occurs when the protagonist struggles within himself or herself.
-conflict takes place within the mind of the character.
-often involves the character making a decision between right and wrong or other mixed emotions.

2. Interpersonal Conflict (Man vs Man)

-the struggle directly between the protagonist and the antagonist
The protagonist wants something and the antagonist obstructs the protagonist from getting what he wants.

3. External Conflict (Man vs Society)

The protagonist is placed at odds with a government or cultural tradition.
Example: If a child gets in trouble for sneaking out of the house at night, he is in conflict with the societal tradition
that children are expected to obey their parents.

Other external conflicts:

Man vs Nature – pits the main character against the forces of nature (natural disaster or a similarly dangerous
situation)
Man vs Machine – a person is in direct combat with robots, in the context of science fiction, or it can simply mean that
technology stands in the way of the protagonist from getting what he/she wants.

D. Plot
– the sequence of events in a story arranged in logical series having a beginning, middle and ending.

The sequence of events is called the narrative order.

Chronological – the most common type of narrative order in children’s books.

Flashback – occurs when the author narrates an event that took place before the current time of the story.
Time Lapse – occurs when the story skips a period of time that seems unusual compared to the rest of the plot.

A. Exposition – setting and characters are introduced.

B. Rising Action – conflict is revealed.
C. Climax – most exciting part of the story.
- character tries to find the solution to the conflict.
D. Falling Action/Denouement – event that immediately follows the climax.
E. Resolution – final outcome of the story.
- usually reveals the theme.

PLOT DEVICES
1. FLASHBACK
-conveys information about events that occurred earlier.
-the story begins in the midst of the action but later fill in the background for full understanding of the present
events.
-can occur more than once and in different parts of a story.

2. FORESHADOWING
-a device to give a sign of something to come
-to create suspense
-to keep the readers guessing what will happen next

3. SUSPENSE
-the feeling of excitement or tension in the readers as the action of the plot unfolds.

4. SURPRISE ENDING
-catches the readers off guard with an unexpected turn of events.

5. EN MEDIAS RES
 Latin phrase meaning “in the middle of things.”
 very classic literary device.
 the story begins after the action has already begun.
 Begins the story in the middle of the action, with background information given later in flashbacks.
POINT OF VIEW
(POV)
-reveals the narrator of the literary work
-is the perspective from which a speaker or writer recounts a narrative or presents information.

First Person—the narrator is one of the characters in the story—usually, the main character/ protagonist.
-may also be an observer, a minor character or the writer himself/herself.
-uses the pronouns I, we, me, mine, us, our (s)
-can observe characters but reveals things and reactions only of self.

“I gazed – and gazed – but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought.”

The use of the pronoun “I” gives a special quality to the feelings expressed in these lines. The reader can see
that the poet has employed first-person point of view to share with us his own personal emotions.

Second Person—uses the pronoun “you” as if communicating with the reader and making the reader a part of the
literary work.
-the narrator is speaking to YOU.
-can be seen mostly in poems, speeches, instructional writing, and persuasive articles.

“Sometimes you cannot clearly discern between anger and frustration.”

Third Person—the narrator is NOT a part of the literary work

-the narrator is describing what’s seen, but as a spectator only.

The third person narrator has three possible perspectives.

a. Limited – In limited third-person, the narrator sees only what’s in front of him/her, a spectator of events as they
unfold and unable to read any other character’s mind.
b. Omniscient—reveals and knows EVERYTHING about ALL of the characters like their thoughts, feelings, and mental
dispositions. He or she sees what each character is doing and can see into each character’s mind.
c. Limited Omniscient -can only see into one character’s mind. He/she might see other events happening, but only
knows the reasons of one character’s actions in the story.

TONE, MOOD, and/ or FEELING

-words or structures of words that reveal what emotions are conveyed by the literary work

Tone
-a term used to denote an attitude of feeling of the speaker or author as conveyed by the language in its artful
arrangement.
-describes the attitude of the narrator or persona of the work.

Mood
-refers to the emotional impact felt by the readers.

Symbolisms
-stand for something other than themselves.
They bring to mind not their own concrete qualities, but the idea or obstruction that is associated with them.

In The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous poem, the huge black bird is a symbol for the narrator’s deep feelings of
loss, regret, mourning, and loneliness.

Robert Herrick’s poem To the Virgins uses a symbol of rosebuds in its first stanza. Since rosebuds only last a short
time, they are a perfect symbol for youth and all the pleasures that come with it.

Images
-usually characterized by concrete qualities rather than abstract meaning.
-appeal to the senses
The night was black as ever, but bright stars lit up the sky in beautiful and varied constellations which were sprinkled
across the astronomical landscape.

In this example, the experience of the night sky is described in depth with color (black as ever, bright), shape (varied
constellations), and pattern (sprinkled).

Silence was broken by the peal of piano keys as Shannon began practicing her concerto.

Here, auditory imagery breaks silence with the beautiful sound of piano keys.

The candy melted in her mouth and swirls of bittersweet chocolate and slightly sweet but salty caramel blended
together on her tongue.

Because an in-depth description of the candy’s various flavors, the reader can almost experience the deliciousness
directly.

She smelled the scent of sweet hibiscus wafting through the air, its tropical smell a reminder that she was on vacation
in a beautiful place.

The scent of hibiscus helps describe a scene which is relaxing, warm, and welcoming.

Theme
-the central idea in a literary work; it is the topic or subject of the selection.