Elements of Fiction

Plot - The series of related events that make up a story. Plot is “what happens” in a short story, novel,
play, or narrative poem. Traditional plot structure includes five stages:

♦ Exposition - The introductory (background) information about the setting, characters and
situation of a story. Exposition comes at the beginning of a story.

♦ Rising Action - A series of events and complications (including inciting incident and
development), building in intensity and leading to the climax of a story.

Inciting Incident – The event which first introduces the central conflict

Development – The conflict increases in intensity until it reaches the climax

♦ Climax - The turning point of the story. After this it is clear whether or not the protagonist will
succeed or fail. It is generally the most emotional and suspenseful moment in the story,
when the outcome is decided one way or another.

♦ Falling Action (Denouement) - This is the part of the story right after the climax, when all
the loose ends are tied up.

♦ Resolution - The character’s problems are solved and the story ends.

Conflict - A struggle or clash between opposing characters or opposing forces. The central conflict of a
story is the problem that is resolved one way or another in the climax. There are two kinds of conflict:

Internal Conflict - (man vs. himself) Conflict which occurs within a given character’s mind. It is
a struggle between opposing needs, desires or emotions -- a “should I or shouldn’t I?” kind of
thing.

External Conflict - (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society, etc.) A character struggles
against some outside force. This outside force may be another character or society as a whole
or a storm or a grizzly bear or even a machine.

Setting - The time and place in which the events of a work of literature (play, story, poem...) take place.
Setting often contributes to a story’s emotional effect and plays an important role in the plot.
Character - A person or animal that takes part in the action of a story, play, or other literary work. A
character’s motivation is any force that drives or moves that character to behave in a particular way. It is
generally what the character wants in the story. There are several types of literary characters:

Protagonist - The main character (“hero,” “good guy”) of a story. The story revolves around
his/her conflicts and motivations. Even if he is not a nice person, the reader identifies with him
and usually wants him to succeed.

Antagonist - (“villain,” “bad guy”) The character who tries to stop the main character from
achieving his goals. He works against the main character throughout the story and generally is
the primary source of conflict for the protagonist.

Dynamic Character - A character who experiences some kind of change (for better or worse) or
growth during the course of the story. Protagonists are usually dynamic. Ex: Ebenezer
Scrooge.

Static Character - A character who does not experience change or growth during the course of a
story. He stays the same throughout. Ex: Bob Cratchit.

Flat Character - Stereotypical character with little or no depth. Ex: Characters from fables and
fairy tales, i.e. “the wicked stepmother,” “the big, bad wolf”

Round Character - A well-developed, complex character with depth. This character is capable
of both good and bad behavior. Ex: Dr. Frankenstein, narrator of “The Black Cat.”

Point of View - The vantage point from which a story is told (the perspective of the narrator). The most
common points of view are:

Omniscient (all-knowing) Point of View - (third person: he, she, they)The narrator knows
everything about the characters and their problems. This omniscient narrator can tell about the
characters’ past, present, and future. This narrator can even tell what the character is thinking or
what is happening in other places. He is not in the story, but rather stands above the action, like
a god.

Third Person Limited Point of View - (third person: he, she, they) This is like the omniscient
point of view, except the narrator focuses on the thoughts and feelings of only one character.

First Person Point of View - (first person: I, we) One of the characters, using the first person
pronoun I, is telling the story. The reader sees everything through the eyes of this one character.
This point of view often provides the reader with a sense of immediacy and intimacy concerning
the characters and events of the story.

Tone - The attitude that a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character.

Style - The manner in which the writer uses language and expression to tell his story. It’s the way he
puts his thoughts into words. Ex: Hemingway employs short, direct sentences, while Poe writes long,
complex sentences very heavy in detail and containing sophisticated vocabulary.

Mood - The overall “feeling” of a piece of literature.

Theme - The idea about life revealed in a work of literature. Themes are often lessons about life. A
story can have several themes, but one will often stand out from the others. They are usually not stated
directly. The reader has to read carefully and make an inference, or an educated guess, about what the
themes are.