ENG1D Literary Terms - Elements of Narrative Fiction

ENG1D Literary Terms - Elements of Narrative Fiction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6I24S72Jps

NARRATIVE FICTION: A short story is a genre (type) of literature. It is literature which is:

a) short story: a story that is usually under 10,000 words;

b) NARRATIVE: literature that tells a story;

c) FICTION: not true, and not factual.

The SIX Elements of Narrative:

1.  Setting

2.  Plot

3.  Conflict

4.  Character

5.  Theme

6.  Point of View

SETTING: Setting is both the time and place of the story. It includes the time of day, the season, and the era. As well, atmosphere and mood are also elements of setting.

PLOT is the set of events in the story. It includes the following:

a. Introduction or Exposition: The beginning of the story establishes setting, characters, and conflict (the problem).

b. Inciting incident: The inciting incident is the event or decision that begins the story’s problem. It is the incident that sets the events of the story into motion.

c. Rising Action: The series of events before the climax - the conflict becomes progressively more tense and complicated.

d. Climax: This moment is the most intense moment of the action. The climax of the plot occurs IN THE MOMENT that the problem is the most intense and the outcome is still uncertain. Often, one force will overtake another at the climax, and the outcome results from this moment.

d. Falling Action: The falling action includes the set of events that occur after, and because of, the climax.

e. Resolution or Dénouement: The resolution is the final outcome of the story.

CONFLICT: All plots include conflict. Conflict occurs when there is a struggle between two or more opposing forces. There are TWO BASIC types of conflict - INTERNAL and EXTERNAL - with FIVE TYPES in total:

INTERNAL

INDIVIDUAL versus SELF

EXTERNAL

INDIVIDUAL versus ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL

INDIVIDUAL versus SOCIETY

INDIVIDUAL versus NATURE

INDIVIDUAL versus FATE (or God)

CHARACTER: Characters are the people who carry out the action.

a. The PROTAGONIST is the central character of the work. The protagonist also appeals to the reader, gaining empathy and support as the story unfolds.

b. The ANTAGONIST is the character (or force) who opposes the protagonist.

c. ROUND CHARACTERS are characters that are complex and more than one dimension of their personality is revealed throughout the work.

d. FLAT CHARACTERS are the opposite of round characters. Only one aspect of their personality is revealed throughout the work.

e. DYNAMIC CHARACTERS change throughout the course of the story, often becoming either better or worse human beings.

f. STATIC CHARACTERS do not change throughout the course of the story.

g. STEREOTYPE CHARACTERS are flat characters who represent a group of people in an oversimplified manner.

CHARACTERIZATION refers to the methods the author uses to develop characters. There are FIVE basic ways to develop character:

a. what the CHARACTER SAYS

b. what the CHARACTER DOES

c. what the CHARACTER THINKS

d. what CHARACTERS SAY/THINK ABOUT EACH OTHER

e. what the AUTHOR SAYS ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

THEME is the BIG IDEA of a work. It is the central idea or PURPOSE of a work, and can be stated directly, or indirectly. It is often a generalization about life which reveals INSIGHT into life, the human condition, the human spirit, or society.

POINT OF VIEW (POV): The point of view is the position, or perspective from which the story is told. The NARRATOR is the voice telling the story (the narrator is NOT the author, the author creates a narrator using POV).

THIRD PERSON POV (Omnicient POV) The story is told from a third-person perspective that is all-seeing and all-knowing.

THIRD PERSON LIMITED POV: The story is told from a third- person perspective that is LIMITED TO THE EXPERIENCES OF ONE character.

FIRST PERSON POV: A character within the story tells the story.

OTHER IMPORTANT TERMS…

IRONY occurs when appearances are the opposite of reality. In other words, appearances create expectations that are, in the end, reversed. There are THREE types:

a.  SITUATIONAL IRONY: the events that occur are the opposite of what was expected to happen

b.  VERBAL IRONY: the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated (sarcasm)

c.  DRAMATIC IRONY: the reader/audience knows something that a character does not realize

A SYMBOL is a concrete object, person, or place that represents abstract ideas.

Foreshadowing is something in the story that hints about future events, or what is to come in the story.

Flashback is a scene or event that has happened before the beginning of the story. It often provides background information and insight into the circumstances of the story.

Suspense: Suspense is the tension that occurs when the outcome of the story is uncertain, and the reader’s concern and anxiety about what will happen is very strong.