Elements of Fiction
When studying literature, there are many terms used when discussing and evaluating a literary work. Whether one is studying children=s literature, or fiction geared towards teens, the same terminology is used.
Point of View: The way in which the reader is presented with the materials of the story; the perspective the author establishes to tell the story.
$ Omniscient point of view allows the author to describe any character from outside (ie: movements or appearance) and the inside (ie: thoughts and feelings). In other words, the omniscient narrator is Aall knowing@.
$ Limited omniscient point of view allows the author to tell the story form the point of view of one character but without the use of AI@. This is the most common way of telling a story.
Protagonist: The main character in a story, novel, or play.
Antagonist: The character that struggles or fights against the protagonist.
Plot: The plot of a story is the series of events created by the author to tell the story. The plot usually includes the sequence: rising action, climax, and falling action. Rising action refers to the events leading to the climax (or the peak in action). The falling action refers to the events which occur following the climax. The climax can be described as the highest point of interest in the story, at which point one (or more) of the conflicts is resolved.
Characterization: The creation of characters in fiction; the methods used by the author to create or reveal the characters in a story. Characters are revealed to readers by what the character says or thinks; what the character does; and what the characters say about the character. A good writer creates characters that people cares about. Whether a reader loves or hates a character, it is important that the reader has an emotional response to the character=s actions. If the writer is able to evoke the reader=s emotions, then they have done their job.
Dialogue: The exchange of words between characters. Dialogue makes the characters seem real to the readers, by exposing first-hand their thoughts, feelings, ideas, and emotions.
Setting: The background for the story; the times and places in which the events of the story occur. The setting is the Awhere@, the Awhen@, and the general environment. Most stories have multiple settings, such as the general setting (country/town etc.), or specific locations in the story where the action takes place (a certain room, street, etc.).
Theme: Theme is the central unifying element of the story which ties together all of the other elements of fiction used by the author to tell the story. It is the message or dominating idea of the story. In order to understand or identify the theme, one must know the whole story.
Conflict: The element of the story which shows the concerns of the central characters. There several types of conflict present in fiction which are often identified by the terms: character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. society, character vs. nature. One or more of these types of conflict can be found in a work of fiction.
Foreshadowing: A technique which provides clues about events that may happen later in the story.
Flashback: A technique for presenting something that happened earlier that helps explain something about the current situation.
Symbol: Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention; especially a material/concrete object used to represent something invisible/abstract.