The setting of a story is the time and place ofthe story. It also includes the mood andatmosphere at the time and place of thestory.
For example: “It was a dark and stormynight...” – suspenseful, eerie and frighteningmood.
This is a term used to describe who is in the story. Themain character is often referred to as the protagonist.The character or force that opposes the protagonist isreferred to as the antagonist. “Character” also refers tothe physical and emotional description of the character.
Characters may be classified as: Realistic or Stereotyped,Round or Flat, Static or Dynamic
A character thatexhibitsstereotypicalattributes.
A character who seems “true to life.”
Give me some examples of movie or t.v.characters that seem like someone youcould know: _______________________
A realistic character who has several sides tohis/her personality.
A limited character, usually a minor character, who hasonly one apparent quality.
A character who undergoes a significant, lastingchange, usually in his/her outlook on life.
A character who does not change during thecourse of the story.
The Point of View is how the story is told. There are three different points ofview.
First Person Narrative – The protagonist tells his/her own story, using thepronoun “I.” The character telling the story can only reveal what he and she isfeeling or thinking.
Third Person (Limited) – Refers to the protagonist as “he/she.” Tells us what thischaracter thinks and feels, but from the perspective of someone outside thestory.
Third Person (Omniscient) – Reveals the minds of several or all of the charactersfrom an all-seeing, all-knowing, God-like perspective.
The storyline or organization of events in a story is called the plot. The plot has abeginning, middle and an end. It consists of episodes of conflict.
The plot should get the reader’s attention and move the reader tothe end of the story. The plot includes the conflict which the maincharacter must overcome in the story. There are three types ofconflict:
1.Person vs. Person – This struggle may be physical, emotional,moral or psychological
2.Person vs. Environment – This could be a conflict with nature,society or circumstance.
3.Person vs. Self – This is a conflict or struggle in emotion orthought within a character.
A theme is often a generalization about life. Literature oftenprovides insights into what the world is like and why humansbehave the way they do. These insights or truths are the themes ofa story. The theme is the author’s message or the central idea of astory. It is usually implied rather than directly stated.
Examples of themes – Love conquers all Life is short Be yourself
Appearances are deceiving
Foreshadowing occurs when the author hintsat something that will happen later in thestory.
In French, this means “type” or “kind.” Thegenre of a novel is its type; mystery, horror,romance, etc.
Irony occurs when the opposite happens ofwhat we have been led to expect.
When the author deliberately createssympathy for a character; even if thecharacter is the villain
An object in a novel that is repeated so that ittakes on a larger significance than just whatthe object is.
