The Elements of Literature

The essentials of all stories

What is Plot?

• Plot is the sequence of events in a literary work.

• It is what “hooks” the reader in.

Plot• The plot is the sequence of events in a story. In

many stories, the events follow the pattern shown in the diagram below.

Climax

Resolution Exposition

Conflict Introduced

Plot: Exposition• The story starts with the exposition, which

introduces the characters and the basic situation.

Climax

Resolution Exposition

Conflict Introduced

Plot: Conflict• Next the writer presents the central conflict, a

struggle that drives the action of the story.

Climax

Resolution Exposition

Conflict Introduced

Plot: Conflict• Conflict is essential to plot. Without conflict

there is no plot. It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character. Within a short story there may be only

one central struggle, or there may be one dominant struggle

with many minor ones.

Two Types of Conflict:• There are two types of conflict:• 1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's

self.• 2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person

must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

• Can you think of • examples of both • of these types of • conflict?

Four Kinds of Conflict:• There are four kinds of conflict:• 1) Character vs. Society (social) - The leading character

struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.

• 2) Character vs. Self (psychological) - The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.

• 3) Character vs. character(physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, the elements, or animals.

• 4) Character vs. Nature(classical) - The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her.

Plot• The conflict increases during the rising action and

comes to a peak at the climax.

Climax

Resolution Exposition

Conflict Introduced

Plot: Rising Action and Climax• Rising Action - This is where the events in

the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).

• Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

Plot• The story ends with the falling action and the

resolution, in which we learn the outcome of the conflict. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not.

Climax

Resolution Exposition

Conflict Introduced

What is character?• A character is a person or animal who takes

part in the action of a literary work.

Character

• The main character is the most important character in a story.

• A minor character is one who takes part in the action, but who is not the focus of the action.

Characterization• In order for a story to seem real to the reader its

characters must seem real.• Characterization is the information the author

gives the reader about the characters themselves.• The author may reveal a character in several ways:

a) his/her physical appearance b) what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams c) what he/she does or does not do d) what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

What is Setting?• The time and location in which a story takes

place is called the setting. • For some stories the setting is very

important, while for others it is not. 

Some elements of setting include:

• place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place?

• time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc)

• weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?• social conditions - What is the daily life of the

character's like? Does the story contain local color (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?

• mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?

What is Theme?• The theme in a piece of fiction is its central

message or its main idea. It is the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. The theme may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature. “Theme” is expressed in more than one word.

• Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are: - Things are not always as they appear to be - Love is blind - Believe in yourself - People are afraid of change

Theme

• A moral is a lesson taught by a story or literary work.

• Can you think of a story with a moral?

• Not every story has a moral, but every story has a theme.

BibliographyEngram, J. (n.d.) Short Story Elements. Accessed February 21,

2006 from http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/images/books1.gif&imgrefurl=http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/elements.html&h=277&w=307&sz=10&tbnid=zxWIS8UDgdYAiM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=112&hl=en&start=24&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dstory%2Bplot%26start%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN

Prentice Hall Literature (2000).Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: Bronze Level. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.