ELEMENTS OF

STORY

SETTINGsetting includes:● Place → city name?

● Time → historical period, year, month, time of day, season, etc

● Social Conditions → What’s going on in the world at the time this story takes place? What about the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place/time? What are the economic conditions like?

● Mood or Atmosphere → rainy, sunny, stormy, night vs. day (all of these aspects create mood or atmosphere)

CHARACTER Two Meanings:

● The literal person (name) in a work of fiction

● The characteristics of a person

CHARACTERLiteral Person

● protagonist: main character(s)● antagonist: opposing character(s) ● supporting characters: remainder

CHARACTERCharacteristics: the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. We learn this through:

● direct statements by the author/narrator

● physical appearance

● what they say, think, feel and dream

● their actions

● what other characters say about them and how others react to them

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CONFLICT

INTERNAL: a struggle within one’s self

EXTERNAL a struggle with a force outside one’s self

Person vs. PersonPerson vs. SelfPerson vs. EnvironmentPerson vs. Society/Community Person vs. Supernatural Person vs. Technology

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POV (Point of View)

always ask yourself:

Are there any biases or inconsistencies in your narrator? Do we trust the narrator?

First Person: ● story is told by the protagonist or another character that

interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters

● uses first person pronouns (“I”, “me”, “we”, etc.)

● reader sees the story through this person's eyes as they

experience it and only knows what they know/feel

Second Person: ● the main character in the story is referred to using the

second person pronoun, “you”

● rarely used

Third Person: ● story is told using a narrator who is located outside of

the action of the story

● uses third person pronouns (“he”, “she”, “his”, “her”, “they” etc.)

● three subcategories: ○ Omniscient○ Limited Omniscient○ Objective

Omniscient: ● means “all knowing”

● the narrator can move from character to character, event to

event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and

motivations of any character

● can introduce information where and when he or she chooses

third person sub-category 1:

Limited Omniscient: ● story is told by a third person narrator, but from the viewpoint

of one character in the story○ usually the main character or protagonist

● reader has access to the thoughts and feelings of only one character

third person sub-category 2:

Objective: ● appears as though a camera is following the characters,

recording only what is seen and heard.

● there is no comment on the characters or their thoughts.

● reader = spectator ○ reader has to interpret events on their own

third person sub-category 3:

THEME

THEMEThe controlling idea or central insight. It is a broad, general,

universal truth that is NOT particular to just this one story. ● Knowledge can be used for destructive ends ● For the benefit of society, sometimes an individual's needs must be

sacrificed● Appearances can be deceiving● Love can sometimes be more destructive than freeing

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fin.

PLOT

EXPOSITIONThe beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is

revealed.

RISING ACTIONThe events in the story become

complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed.

CLIMAX The highest point of interest the

turning point of the story.

We are left wondering, what will happen next? Will the conflict be resolved or not?

FALLING ACTIONThe events and complications begin

to resolve themselves.

The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not.

RESOLUTION/DENOUEMENT

The final outcome or untangling of events in the story.