ELEMENTS OF FICTION

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ELEMENTS OF FICTION
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EXPOSITION

• THE PART IN A STORY OR WORK OF DRAMA IN WHICH THE
  CHARACTERS ARE INTRODUCED AS WELL AS THE SETTING
  AND BASIC SITUATION.

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RISING ACTION (Conflict)

• THE PART OF THE PLOT WHEN THE CENTRAL CONFLICT IS
  INTRODUCED TENSION IS BUILDING

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CLIMAX

• THE TURNING POINT IN THE PLOT. THE MOMENT OF
  GREATEST INTENSITY OR WHEN THE MAIN ACTION HAPPENS

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FALLING ACTION

• FOLLOWED BY THE CLIMAX- WHEN THE INTENSITY
  BEGINS TO LIGHTEN AND THE CONFLICT IS ON ITS WAY
  TO A RESOLUTION

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RESOLUTION

• THE PART OF THE PLOT IN WHICH THE CONFLICT HAS
  BEEN RESOLVED AND THE STORY COMES TO AN END.

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Inciting Incident

• Is the event that introduces the central conflict.

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SETTING

• TIME AND PLACE IN WHICH A STORY TAKES PLACE.
  (Past, present, future, or specific year, season,
  time of day) (Region, country, town, or social,
  economic, or cultural environment)

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SUSPENSE

• UNCERTAINTY OF WHAT WILL COME. AUTHOR DOES THIS
  BY WITHOLDING DETAILS OR HINTING AT WHAT MIGHT
  HAPPEN.

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THEME

• THE KEY MESSAGE OR INSIGHT INTO LIFE THAT THE
  STORY REVEALS. IN SOME STORIES, IT IS STATED
  DIRECTLY. HOWEVER, IN MOST STORIES, IT IS
  SUGGESTED OR IMPLIED.

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SYMBOL

• SOMETHING THAT STANDS FOR ITSELF AND REPRESENTS
  SOMETHING ELSE.

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FLASH BACK

• A LITERARY DEVICE IN WHICH AN EARLIER ACTION
  FLASHES BACK OUT OF CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

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FORESHADOWING

• A HINT AT WHAT WILL COME LATER IN THE STORY

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IN MEDIAS RES

• BEGINNING A STORY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLOT
• By the Waters of Babylon

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ALLUSION

• A REFERENCE TO A WELL-KNOWN PERSON, PLACE, EVENT,
  LITERARY WORK, OR WORK OF ART
• By the Waters of Babylon (biblical allusion)
• The Sound and the Fury (literary allusion)

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CHARACTERS(round, flat, dynamic, static, and
foil)

• ROUND/THREE DIMENSIONAL- Possesses many different
  character traits, appears realistic to the reader.

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FLAT

• Has only one basic trait.

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STOCK CHARACTER

• Is one found again and again in literary works.
• For example, Cinderella, the wicked stepmother,
  or the wicked queen in Snow White and the Seven
  Dwarfs.

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DYNAMIC

• A character who experiences some major change by
  the end of the story

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• STATIC A character who stays the same regardless
  of what he experiences

• FOIL A character intended to stand in contrast
  of another character

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• INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION- Showing a characters
  personality through his/her actions, thoughts,
  feelings, words, appearance, or through another
  characters observations.
• DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION- The narrator directly
  tells a characters traits.

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EXTERNAL CONFLICT-

• THE MAIN CHARACTER STRUGGLES AGAINST AN OUTSIDE
  FORCE
• (man vs. man, man vs. nature/(supernatural force)

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INTERNAL CONFLICT

• INVOLVES A CHARACTER IN CONFLICT WITH HIM/HERSELF

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DIALOGUE

• CONVERSATION BETWEEN CHARACTERS. OFTEN IT
  REVEALS IMPORTANT HINTS INTO A CHARACTERS
  PERSONALITY

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POINT OF VIEW

• THE PERSPECTIVE COMING FROM WHOEVER IS TELLING
  THE STORY

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• 1ST PERSON- Narrator is a character in the action
• 3rd PERSON OMNISCIENT- All-knowing narrator.
  Knows more about the situation and characters
  then the characters themselves.
• 3RD PERSON LIMITED- Narrator who only tells the
  thoughts and feelings of one character

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IRONY

• GENERAL TERM FOR LITERARY TECHNIQUES THAT PORTRAY
  DIFFERENCES BETWEEN APPEARANCE AND REALITY,
  EXPECTATION AND RESULT, OR MEANING AND INTENTION

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DRAMATIC IRONY

• CONTRADICTION BETWEEN WHAT A CHARACTER THINKS AND
  WHAT THE AUDIENCE KNOWS TO BE TRUE
• (The Open Window)

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SITUATIONAL IRONY

• AN EVENT OCCURS THAT DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS THE
  EXPECTATIONS OF THE CHARACTERS, THE READERS, OR
  THE AUDIENCE.
• Contents of a Dead Mans Pockets

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VERBAL IRONY

• WORDS ARE USED TO SUGGEST THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT IS
  MEANT
• (Ex. Sarcasm, puns)

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GENRE

• CATEGORIES OR TYPES OF LITERATURE

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PROTAGONIST

• THE MAIN CHARACTER- MUST APPEAR REAL TO THE
  READER. (Usually has some kind of flaw or
  imperfection)

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ANTAGONIST

• THE CHARACTER WHO OPPOSES THE PROTAGONIST

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MOOD

• THE FEELING CREATED IN THE READER BY A LITERARY
  WORK OR PASSAGE

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IMAGERY

• DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE USED IN STORIES TO RE-CREATE
  SENSORY EXPERIENCES.