ELEMENTS IN NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES
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Successful fiction depends on how interesting or engaging the
stories are
Authors are responsible in weaving and intertwining elements of
the stories to make them able to draw the readers in
Those elements are :a. Plotb. Charactersc. Point of Viewsd.
Settinge. ThemesElements of Fictions
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Sequence of events unfolding in the stories. Causal arrangements
of events and actions in a story
Requires readers intelligence to relate facts together and
readers memory to recall facts
A plot consists of :a. a beginningb. a middle c. an ending
A short stories usually has 1 plot. A novel has several
intertwining plots.
5 essential parts of a plot:a. Introduction / Expositionb.
Rising Actionc. Climaxd. Falling Actione. Denouement
(Resolution)Plot
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Plot Exposition / Introduction - characters and setting are
introduced Rising action- events of the story begin to unfold-
conflict is introduced and developed- building up of suspense and
anticipation
Climax- the turning point of the story- conflict reaches the
highest point- moment of great tension- leaving readers to wonder
will it be resolved?
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Plot Falling action - tension lessens - conflict begins to
resolve - readers questions will be answered Denouement- unraveling
of the plot- the outcome of the story is decided- ending of the
story happy, sad , hanging, twisted
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Plot Structures Linear Plot
a. chronological order
b. flashback
c. in the middle of actions
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Plot StructureAristotelian Plot
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Plot StructureModification of Aristotle Pyramid by Freytag
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Conflict Struggle between the forces in the story. Without
conflict, there is no plot. Consists of :a. External conflicts
protagonist against external factorsb. Internal conflicts
protagonist against inside forces
Common conflictsa. human vs human (physical)b. human vs self
(psychological)c. human vs natured. human vs society (social)e.
human vs technologyf. human vs fate (classical)Source
:http://www.slideshare.net/KSmith15/introduction-to-the-short-story
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Characters Consists of :a. people in the storiesb.
characteristics of the people in the storiesc. in the form of non
human animals / things Protagonist- the main character of the
story- sometimes seen as the Hero- often faces conflict- may
undergo character changes
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Characters Antagonist :- opposes the protagonist- sometimes also
seen as the Villain- can be non human Secondary characters-
important to the storyline- flat characters- have limited character
traits- do not undergo any changes
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Characters Foil characters :- help the personality and
characteristics of the protagonist stand out- can be in the form of
enemy or friend- often have conflicting personalities and
dissimilar physical features
(http://characterandcharacterization.webs.com/foil.htm) Background
characters- appear infrequently- most of the time are not named
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Types of Characters Round characters :- possess various traits-
undergo transformation or emotional growth throughout the story-
readers can identify different sides of a round character Flat
characters:- reader can only see one side of the character- usually
are minor characters with limited traits
Archetypes:- stereotype characters- common, generalized traits,
repeatedly found in different stories
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Types of Characters Dynamic characters :- develop and change and
not just round- many sided personalities- changes can be better or
worse Static characters:- one dimensional- stay the same with no
development- readers know very little about them- flat
characters
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Points of view The narrator of the story
Tone and mood of the story can change depending on who is
telling the story
First person narrator- the story is told through the eyes of
someone who is part of the whole story- events confined to what the
narrator experiences directlyor knows from someone else- limited to
one person- key words : I , we, me, us
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Points of view Omniscient - third person narration- have access
to everyones thoughts, feeling and actions- narrator is not a
character in the story- omniscient limited : focuses only on the
experiences of one single character- omniscient objective : no
comments on the characters thoughts- reader has to make
interpretation
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Points of view Why point of view is important?
- able to listen to narrator through his voice
- the words narrator uses
- nature of the story depends on choice of narrators words
- help readers to understand about the plot and the
characters
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Themes The authors message or the work meaning that the author
wants to convey to the readers
Moral of the story. A novel may have more that one themes.
Conveying the themes through devices such as :
a. simileb. metaphorc. ironyd. allusion - casual reference to a
person, place, or event without actually being specific to the
reference or incident. e. symbolism similar to the use in poetryf.
foreshadowing a hint is given earlier in the story that refers to
something that will happen later in the story
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Setting The time and location where the story takes place
Determines the mood and tone of the story
Includes :
a. Geographyb. Timec. Weatherd. Mood and atmospheree. Social
conditionsf. Mannerisms, customs, culture, language
