Elements of Story Review Notes

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Elements of StoryReview Notes
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• Plot
• ? All the events in a story from beginning to
  end

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• Conflict
• A struggle or clash
• between forces
• ? There are five basic types

Person vs. Person Person vs. Nature Person vs.
Fate Person vs. Society Person vs. Self
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• 1. Exposition
• ? The beginning part of the story
• ? Characters, setting, and basic situation are
  learned

• Setting
• ? The time and place of the story
• ? Details like location, weather, time of day,
  time period, etc.

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2. Rising Action/ Complications ? All of the
events of the story leading up to the climax.
? Complications refer to the series of
successes and set-backs the character often
experiences throughout the story. ? Rising
Action includes the conflict.
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3. Climax ? The most intense or exciting part
of the story ? The main conflict is addressed
4. Falling Action ? All of the events following
the climax ? Usually quickly leads to the end
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5. Resolution ? The ending of the story ? All
plot events may be wrapped up or the story may
leave the reader wondering
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• Characters The players in the story
• Protagonist
• ? The main character of the story, usually
  the good character.

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• Antagonist
• ? The character or force working against the
  protagonist, usually the bad character or
  force.

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Characters

• Static
• ? Characters that do NOT change over the course
  of a text
• Flat
• ? One-dimensional or one-sided characters
• Dynamic
• ? Characters who change over the course of a
  text
• Round
• ? Multi -dimensional or many-sided characters

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Characterization ? Authors process of revealing
characters personality through description
? Two Types - Direct Characterization -
Indirect Characterization
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Direct Characterization ? The author explicitly
tells the reader what the characters
personality is like. Jenna is a caring young
woman who always looks out for her friends.
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Indirect Characterization ? The reader must use
clues to figure out the characters
personality traits. ? Authors often
describe - What the character says - What the
character does - What others think/feel about
the character
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Point of View ? Vantage point from which the
story is told ? Usually an author will create
one or more narrators to tell the story
Three types of POV ? First Person ? Third Person
Limited ? Third Person Omniscient
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First Person POV ? The narrator is a character
in the story ? I, me, my, we, us, etc.
Third Person Limited POV ? Narrator outside the
story ? Focuses on one or two characters
thoughts and feelings
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Third Person Omniscient POV ? All-knowing
narrator describes the thoughts and feelings of
all or many characters
Things to Consider About POV ? Is the narrator
trustworthy? ? Is the narrator biased? ? Does
the narrator know all sides of the story?
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Theme ? Universal idea or message that can be
gleaned from story ? Many possible themes in a
text
Must be a statement, not a single word. Rather,
the theme is a statement about love.
Theme cant be love. Love conquers all.
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• Tone
• ? An impression about how the AUTHOR feels
  toward the characters or situations
• ? Closely related to the authors word choice
  and descriptions
• If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who
  gives a damn if shes late? Nobody.

• Mood
• ? The feelings evoked by the story for the
  READER
• ? Closely related to SETTING
• It was a dark and stormy night

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Foreshadowing ? Clues or hints that suggest
later events in the story Flashback ? The
story jumps back in time to an earlier event
or a time before the story
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Irony

• ? A figure of speech where words may mean
  something than their actual meaning or an
  outcome could be opposite what was expected.
  In short, Irony is the difference between the
  appearance and the reality.
• ? Three types
• - Dramatic
• - Situational
• - Verbal

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Irony

• Dramatic Irony
• ? The audience knows something the character
  does not
• Situational Irony
• ? The outcome is opposite of what was
  expected
• Verbal Irony
• ? What is being said is the opposite of what is
  meant

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Inference ? An educated guess the READER can
make using evidence from the story.
Evidence James always helps old ladies cross the
street.
Inference James is kind and respectful of his
elders.