Literary DevicesLiterary DevicesLiterary DevicesLiterary DevicesMelanie GoingsMelanie Goings

Woodruff Middle SchoolWoodruff Middle School

Elements of Literature• Plot• Conflict• Setting• Character• Point of View• Theme

What is Plot?• Plot is the sequence of events

within a literary work. • The plot of a literary work can be

divided into five distinct sections that can even be graphed on a diagram.

A Closer Look at Plot:What are the Five Divisions of Plot?

• Exposition • Rising Action• Climax• Falling Action• Resolution

What Drive the Plot Within a Literary Work?• Conflict

– The struggle between opposing forces

• Man vs. Man• Man vs. Himself• Man vs. Society• Man vs. Nature

What Type of Conflict Does this Picture

Represent?

Answer…

• Man vs. Society… This picture depicts racial

discrimination. It was law that African Americans use separate facilities because of their race. Therefore, this is an example of man vs. a rule of society.

What type of Conflict does this picture

represent?

Answer…• Man vs. Man

This 1942 picture illustrates two men in a boxing match

What is Setting?• Setting is the time and place of the

action• Setting include all details of a place and

time—the year, the time of day, even the weather.

• Details such as dialect, clothing, customs, and modes of transportation are often used to establish setting within a literary work.

Describe the Setting Here within the next

picture…

What is the setting here?

What is Character?• Character is a person or an animal

that takes part in the action of a literary work

• Characters can be classified into several groups:

• Major or Minor• Flat or Round• Dynamic or Static

Major Characters vs. Minor Character

Major CharactersMost important

character in the entire literary work

Minor CharactersCharacters will a

lesser role but whose role is necessary for the story to develop

Flat Characters vs. Round Characters

Flat CharactersCharacters who

are often one-sided and often stereotypical

Round CharactersCharacters that

are fully developed and exhibit many traits

Dynamic Characters vs. Static Characters

Dynamic Characters

A character that grows and changes as the literary work develops

Static CharactersA character who

does not change throughout the literary work

What is Point of View?• The perspective

or vantage point from which a story is told.– 1st person POV– 3rd person limited– 3rd person

omniscient

What is Theme?

• The central message, concern, or purpose of a literary work.

• The theme can be expressed as a generalization, or general statement, about people or life.

• The theme is often revealed indirectly and the reader may have to look carefully at what the work reveals about people or about life.

What are some themes to literary works you have already read?