ELEMENTS OF NARRATIVES

The notes….

Narratives are stories that are either told orally or they are written down.

They can be fiction or non-fiction. They take many forms. (see GENRE)

They have several elements, or important parts.

Narrative (from the word ‘narrate’ meaning ‘to tell’.

GENRE:the ‘type of’ or ‘certain kind of’ something

In this class it would be the type of literature we might be reading at the

moment.

Fiction:NovelsFantasy

Fairy talesMysteryPoetry

Short stories

Non-FictionBiography

AutobiographyNewspaperSpeeches

Magazine articles

The plot is the action of the narrative.

Narratives are organized in this way:

1. Exposition: start of the story

2. Rising action: problem is stated or revealed in this part of the story

3. Climax: high point of the story tension is greatest here, the problem is at its worst and may start to be solved)

4. Falling action: the tension lessens, and the problem may be solved at this point

5. Resolution: the reader learns the outcome of the story, or the end of the story

PLOT

the main character in the story, or the one most important to the action of a story

is also sometimes referred to as the ‘hero’ in a story

Red Riding Hood Three Little Pigs

Cat in the Hat Harry Potter

PROTAGONIST:

The force working against the main character in the story

Note: The antagonist does not have to be a person (human)

The Big Bad Wolf Thing One, Thing Two

Some uncontrollable force or event in life

ANTAGONIST:

POINT OF VIEW:the perspective or vantage point from which an author tells a story.

1st person: the story is told

by someone in (who is part of) the story.

In 1st person, the writer or speaker will use these types of pronouns: me, we, us, etc.

3rd person: The story is told

by someone who is outside (who is not a part) of the story.

In 3rd person, the writer or speaker will use these types of pronouns:

he, she, they, etc.

In this class, we will only be dealing with two

Points of View:

the author’s specific reason for writing: When asked about “author’s purpose”,

or the author’s reason for writing, limit your answer to these responses:

To inform or explain To entertain To persuade To enlighten (teach an important truth or a

lesson)

AUTHOR’S PURPOSE:

The problem or situation around which the plot of a fiction narrative revolves. There are 5 main types of conflict:

CONFLICT

The man character has a problem with another character

Note: Don’t take that literally. The other character does not necessarily have to be human.

CONFLICT:Man v/s man

The main character has problem deciding what to do or what to think

CONFLICT:Man v/s Self

The main character has a problem with the beliefs, laws, or ways of a group

CONFLICT:Man v/s Society

The main character has a problem with a force of nature

Examples: a blizzard a tornado on a small boat in rough waters lost in a desert

CONFLICT:Man v/s Nature

The main character has a problem over which he or she doesn’t seem to have any control

Examples: A serious injury An illness A mental or physical handicap

CONFLICT:Man v/s Fate

WHERE and

WHEN a story takes place

Has to do with locations, time periods, seasons of the year, etc.

Setting

An object or event in a story that stands for some idea or emotion.

Symbol

The particular way that an author writes or expresses thoughts.

Shakespeare: very formal, use of olde English Dr. Suess: simple words, rhyming, certain colors for

illustrations

Some style questions:

Does the piece sound conversational? Or is it more businesslike and formal? Is the language difficult or easy? Does the writer use slang? Are the chapters long or short? In what genre does this author usually write? Does the way in which this writer puts words and details together to make a story appeal to you?

Style

Dialogue and Dialect

Dialogue: What the characters say.When the characters speak, the words they say will be found inside

quotation marks.“Stop it!” Terry threw up his hands in a show of anger. “I have had

enough of you.”

Dialect: How the characters sound when they speak. Southern drawl Northern sound New York accent Use of slang Use of certain terms

“What up?” “Wazzup?” “Good ‘ay.” “Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!”

“Hey, ya’ll!”“How ya doin’? “”How are you doing?”

-the feelings or emotions in the reader caused by the story.

Moodalso referred to as tone

Usually details in the setting will help establish the mood of a story.

- the underlying message that the author wants the reader to understand

It is what that the writer wants the reader to understand most about the story.

Possible themes for “The Three Little Pigs” Whatever you do, do it well

Always be prepared- Points to remember about theme:

- It will not be directly stated in the story.- You usually won’t know the theme until After Reading,

when you’re in the Pause and Reflect stage of the Reading Process.

Theme