Literary Elements

Plot

• A series of related events that make up a story.

• Includes introduction/exposition, main events/rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Plot at a Glance

climax

falling action

rising action

resolution

exposition

Plot:

Rising Action: • develops the basic situation of a story;

the conflict intensifies

Exposition: • provides needed background information;

presents a character in a situation that contains the possibility of action.

Climax

• The most exciting moment and/or turning point of the story, when the outcome is decided one way or another

Resolution• The final part of the story where the

conflict is resolved and the story is brought to a close. – Think of finishing the

story as tying a bow on a present.

Falling Action:

• the action after the climax

Conflict

• A struggle between two opposing characters or opposing forces.

Internal Conflict: Man vs. Self

• A conflict which takes place within a character’s own mind.

• When a difficult decision is being made

External Conflict

• A character struggles with an outside force, another character, society, or a natural force.– Man vs. Man -Man

vs. Nature

– Man vs. Society

Setting

• The time and place of a story

Mood The overall feeling of a work of

literature

• Edgar Allan Poe stories or Tim Burton usually have an eerie, creepy mood.

• Adam Sandler movies

usually have a humorous mood.

Flashback

• used to recount events that happened prior to the story’s primary plot or to fill in crucial backstory

• Ex: Saw movies use flashback- Saw IV

Characterization

• Process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader

Direct

• When the author directly tells the reader about a character.

• Examples– She is the fastest runner on her team.– He is very tall.

Indirect

• When the author shows the reader what a character is like by showing:

– his/her physical description;

– his/her private thoughts or feelings;

– the speech, action, thoughts, feelings of other characters

Examples of Indirect Characterization

• She raced across the finish line and waited five minutes for the rest of her team to show up.

• Everyone thought of giraffes whenever he walked into the room.

                                 

Examples of Indirect Characterization

• In The Outsiders- Johnny flinches when Two-Bit comes up behind him & yells

• Johnny gets quiet when he notices the rings the Soc is wearing– Both of these SHOW the reader that something has happened to make Johnny nervous and jumpy

Characters• Flat• one or two qualities,

ideas, or traits that can be readily described in a brief summary. – Ex: Stereotypes

like “dumb blonde” or “evil stepmother”

• Round• Displays the

qualities & conflicts found in real people– Ex: The geeky

guy who doesn’t get the hot cheerleader, but sits home alone on Prom night.

Characters, cont. • Dynamic• undergoes some

kind of change throughout the story– Ex: The students

in The Breakfast Club

• Static• does not change

throughout the work– Ex: Principal

Vernon

Protagonist

• Central character or hero who engages the reader’s interest and empathy

• Ex: Batman

Antagonist

• the character or force that stands directly opposed to the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story.

• The Joker

Foil

• a character that contrasts another character and therefore highlights certain qualities of that character

• Ex: Sisters Kat & Bianca

Point of View

• 1st Person: the narrator is a character in the story. Uses “I” and can only tell what happens from his/her perspective.

• 3rd Person Omniscient: the narrator is outside of the story- but is all-knowing. Narrator can see into the minds of all the characters.

• 3rd Person Limited: the narrator is outside of the story, but knows what one character thinks, feels, and observes.

Irony:

• The use of words to convey the opposite of the actual meaning

• Three different types– Situational– Verbal– Dramatic

Situational:

• occurs when what is happening is very different from what is expected to happen

• Ex: Instead of living “happily ever after,” Cinderella and Prince Charming get divorced because she can’t stop cleaning the castle and talking to mice.

Verbal:

• a contrast between what is said or written and what is really meant.

• Ex: You get 6 out of 20 correct on a test and your friend calls you “Einstein.”

Dramatic:

• occurs when the reader or audience knows something a character in a book, movie, or play doesn’t know

• Ex: In the movie “Shrek,” the audience knows that Princess Fiona is an ogre, but Shrek and Donkey do not.

Theme

• The main idea of a literary work• A statement the text makes about

people and life• the general idea or insight about

life that a writer wishes to express.

Theme, cont.

• May be implied rather than stated clearly

• Implied means that readers figure it out from the details of the action that compose the story and what the characters have learned.

Theme Examples

• Love conquers all.

• Don't judge a book

by its cover.

Another Theme Example

• In The Outsiders, it is not specifically stated, but one of the themes is revealed to be that violence doesn’t solve problems- it actually may cause more.

Symbol

• a person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself as well.

• Ex: American flag- The U.S. flag as well as freedom• A wedding ring is a symbol of commitment, love, and honor.  It is not just a ring.

.

Simile

• A comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles.

• She’s as fast as a cheetah.• He walks like a penguin in his

loose pants.

Metaphor

• A comparison between two unlike things in which one thing becomes another thing.

• You are my sunshine.• This room is a pigsty.

Personification

• giving human qualities to something that is not human

Allusion

• A reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, the arts, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, or science.

• That the general population knows

Allusion Examples

Foreshadowing

• The use of clues to hint at what will happen later in the plot.

Alliteration

• The repetition of consonant sounds in several words that are close together

Onomatopoeia:

• The use or sound of a word that imitates or resembles what it stands for or describes.

• Example: swish, bang, sizzle, pow, buzz

Imagery:

• descriptive language that evokes a sensory experience (appeals to sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) and helps create a picture in the reader’s mind.

• Think of “showing” not “telling” in writing.

• Ex: The wind whipped my hair around. The pitter-patter of the rain against the window was like a lullaby that sang me to sleep.