Definition of Plot

Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story, or the main part of a
story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of
a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.

Plot is known as the foundation of a novel or story, around which the characters and settings
are built. It is meant to organize information and events in a logical manner. When writing
the plot of a piece of literature, the author has to be careful that it does not dominate the other
parts of the story.

Primary Elements of a Plot

There are five main elements in a plot.

1. Exposition or Introduction

This is the beginning of the story, where characters and setting are established.
The conflict or main problem is introduced as well.

2. Rising Action

Rising action which occurs when a series of events build up to the conflict. The main
characters are established by the time the rising action of a plot occurs, and at the same time,
events begin to get complicated. It is during this part of a story that excitement, tension, or
crisis is encountered.

3. Climax

In the climax, or the main point of the plot, there is a turning point of the story. This is meant
to be the moment of highest interest and emotion, leaving the reader wondering what is going
to happen next.

4. Falling Action

Falling action, or the winding up of the story, occurs when events and complications begin to
resolve. The result of the actions of the main characters are put forward.

5. Resolution

Resolution, or the conclusion, is the end of a story, which may occur with either a happy or a
tragic ending.

Examples of Plot in Literature

Example #1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (By J. K. Rowling)

Among the examples of plot in modern literature, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is
probably the most familiar to both readers and moviegoers. The plot of the story begins when
Harry learns that Professor Snape is after the Sorcerer’s Stone. The Professor lets loose a
troll, who nearly kills Harry and his friends. In addition, Harry finds out that Hagrid let out
the secret of the giant dog to a stranger in return for a dragon, which means that Snape can
now reach the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Example #2: Pride and Prejudice (By Jane Austen)

A very good plot example in romantic fiction appears in the book Pride and Prejudice by
Jane Austen. The plot of the story begins when Lizzie’s sister, Jane, falls in love with Darcy’s
friend named Mr. Bingley. Lizzie develops and interest in Mr. Wickham, who accuses Darcy
of destroying him financially.

When Lizzie goes to meet her friend, she runs into Mr. Darcy, who proposes, and Lizzie
rejects. She then writes him a letter telling him why she dislikes him. He writes back, clearing
up all misunderstandings and accusations. Jane runs away with Mr. Wickham, and Lizzie
realizes that Mr. Darcy is not as bad a man as she had thought him to be.

Function of Plot
A plot is one of the most important parts of a story, and has many different purposes. Firstly,
the plot focuses attention on the important characters and their roles in the story. It motivates
the characters to affect the story, and connects the events in an orderly manner. The plot
creates a desire for the reader to go on reading by absorbing them in the middle of the story,
ensuring they want to know what happens next.

The plot leads to the climax, but by gradually releasing the story in order to maintain readers’
interest. During the plot of a book, a reader gets emotionally involved, connecting with the
book, not allowing himself to put the book down. Eventually, the plot reveals the entire story,
giving the reader a sense of completion that he has finished the story and reached a
conclusion.

The plot is what forms a memory in readers’ minds, allowing them to think about the book
and even making them want to read it again. By identifying and understanding the plot, the
reader is able to understand the message being conveyed by the author, and the explicit or
implicit moral of the story.

Plot definition: Plot is the way an author develops a series of events in a text.
What is a Plot?
What does plot mean? Plot is the storyline of a text. An author puts together
a series of events to create a story. The sequence of that series of events is
the plot.
Typically, an author develops a plot in such a way to pique the reader’s
interest. That said, the storyline is not usually resolved until the near end of
the text.

A simple example of plot using the fable The Tortoise and The Hare,
  A race was run between a tortoise and a hare
 The hare was sure he would win.
 He stopped frequently along the way to display his confidence.
 The tortoise did not think he would win but never gave up.
 The hare became distracted.
 The tortoise crossed the finish line first and won the race.
Structures of Traditional Plots

There is a traditional plot

structure that many texts follow. Below is a common plot line example.

Exposition
The exposition is the introduction to the story. Characters and setting are
introduced.

Rising Action
The rising action presents a central conflict within a character or between one
or more character. The conflict builds during the rising action.

Climax
The climax occurs when the conflict is at its peak and when there seems to be
no viable solution to the conflict.

Falling Action
The falling action occurs after the climax when the reader is still unsure if the
protagonist will be able to resolve the conflict.

Denouement
The denouement (also called the resolution) is the conclusion to the plot.
Typically, the conflict is resolved at this point.

The Function of Plot

 A story does not exist without a
plot. A plot includes every event that occurs throughout a text.

The plot should be developed in such a way to interest the readers and to
keep them guessing at the next points.

A good plot is one that has well-developed characters who are engaging in
several conflicts.

Plot Examples in Literature

When an author writes a text, he

wants to create interest for his readers. The overarching way for a writer to
achieve this is through plot.

Readers put down a book because the storyline is uninteresting to them;

furthermore, readers continue to read a text because of its plot components.

Some good examples of literary plots are held within the works of
Shakespeare. Most Shakespeare plays follow the traditional plot structure,
where Act I serves as the exposition, Act 3 the climax, and Act 5 the
denouement.

Uses of Plot in Everyday Language

 The result is a story at once fabulist and searingly precise, driven by a
deadpan voice that manages to do equal literary justice to the suspense
of the plot, the author’s version of historical truth and the emotions
evoked by its protagonist, the young runaway slave Cora. –The Wall
Street Journal
 Book groups have been a popular plot device in commercial fiction. It’s
a handy way to get a group of people together, and they’ll always have
something to talk about. –The Washington Post
Summary: What is Plot in Literature?
 Define plot in literature: the
definition of plot in literature is the sequence of events that made up a
storyline.
In summary, a plot is the basic storyline of a text. Most plots follow a
traditional pattern, where the climax is the turning point of the text. A good plot
generally leads to an interesting novel, as plot encompasses most literary
elements.

What is Setting?
Setting is the time and place (or when and where) of the story. It’s a literary
element of literature used in novels, short stories, plays, films, etc., and
usually introduced during the exposition (beginning) of the story, along with
the characters. The setting may also include the environment of the
story, which can be made up of the physical location, climate, weather, or
social and cultural surroundings.

There are various ways that time and place indicate setting. Time can cover
many areas, such as the character’s time of life, the time of day, time of
year, time period such as the past, present, or future, etc. Place also covers
a lot of areas, such as a certain building, room in a building, country, city,
beach, in a mode of transport such as a car, bus, boat, indoors or out,
etc. The setting of a story can change throughout the plot. The environment
includes geographical location such as beach or mountains, the climate and
weather, and the social or cultural aspects such as a school, theatre,
meeting, club, etc.

II. Examples of Setting

Example 1
A simple example to understand setting is the Disney movie “Cinderella.” The
setting starts out as

Time: Cinderella as a young girl, long ago in the past

Place: Cinderella’s home in a kingdom far away
After her father dies, the time aspect of setting changes, skipping roughly
ten years into the future. Understanding this change in time helps in keeping
up with the story.
Time: Cinderella as a young woman, long ago in the past
Place: Cinderella’s home in a kingdom, in her bedroom and in the kitchen
Example 2
Read this example below to see how setting is written into a story.

As the sun set in the evening sky, Malcolm slowly turned and walked toward his home. All was
silent and still. Through the window, he could see his older brother James watching a football
game on the TV. James was home from his first year of college in the city. It was lonely at times,
but Malcolm felt it was rather nice to not be in James’ shadow during his senior year of high
school.

Time: evening, senior year of high school, and modern times (they have a TV)
Place: Malcolm’s home, and possibly the suburbs or country (his brother has gone to the city for
school).

III. Types of Setting

There are two types of setting, each having its own purpose.

a. Backdrop setting
Have you ever read a story, but found it difficult to figure out what time
period in which the story was written or where it is? The story probably had a
backdrop setting. The story is timeless and can happen at any point in
history or anywhere. The focus is on the lesson or message being delivered.
Many fairy tales and children’s stories have backdrop settings. “Winnie the
Pooh” would be an example. Since the lessons that the characters learn is
the point rather than the time period, it’s hard to tack a “past, present, or
future” on the time aspect of the setting. It could also be any town or
country, which means children anywhere can relate to it.

b. Integral setting
With an integral setting (integral means to be a part of or important to), the
time and place are important to the story. For example, a story dealing with
a historical setting will have a direct impact on the plot. A story that happens
in the 1800s will not have technology, so the characters will have to write a
letter, ride a horse or take a carriage to visit each other; they cannot travel
long distances in one day as we do now with cars, buses, and planes. This
will have a direct impact on the events of the story, especially if there is
distance involved.
IV. The Importance of Setting
Setting gives context to the characters’ actions in a story line. It can also
create the mood (how the reader or viewer feels). It’s easier to understand
why the characters in the story are doing what they’re doing when we know
where the they are. The time of day, time of year, and ages of the characters
will also affect how they act and what they say.
All forms of literature will have some form of setting; even backdrop settings
have an age range of the characters, which is part of time, and a location,
either indoors or out, for example. Without a setting, readers and viewers
cannot follow a story plot.

V. Examples of Setting in Literature

All good literature uses setting. No story can exist without an element of time
or place. Here are some popular examples.

Example 1
Elie Wiesel wrote “Night” in the 1950s, but his biography has been read by
millions through the decades and is still a popular book in schools. It’s the
true and tragic account of Wiesel’s Jewish family during the Holocaust of
World War II.

AND THEN, one day all foreign Jews were expelled from Sighet. And Moishe
the Beadle was a foreigner. Crammed into cattle cars by the Hungarian
police, they cried silently. Standing on the station platform, we too were
crying.
The train disappeared over the horizon; all that was left was thick, dirty
smoke.
Behind me, someone said, sighing, ‘What do you expect?
That’s w a r… (Wiesel 1958).

In this passage, we have the name of the town and a location within the
town (place). We know that it’s a war (time). Since we know Wiesel survived
World War II, we know it must be in the 1940s (time). The description of
human beings “crammed into cattle cars” creates a mood of sympathy that
such a place could be used for people.

Example 2
This next example is from J. K. Rowling’s book “Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets.” Rowling’s series of Harry Potter books are popular with
young adults and have been made into films.
October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle.
Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among
the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left
the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley,
who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam
pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head
was on fire (Rowling 1999).

This excerpt sets a gloomy mood with its setting, particularly with the words
“damp chill.” It’s October and the characters are students, so we assume
young (time). They are in a school dormitory, which is a castle (place). Since
the season is fall, we know that the students are getting sick because of the
cold. The idea that they are using a “potion” hints that the time period is long
ago in the past or some fantasy time period.

VI. Examples of Setting in Pop Culture

Example 1

One area of pop culture that relies heavily on strong settings is the video
game industry. The YouTube video below illustrates the importance of setting
in games. As computer technology has improved over the years, video
games have progressed from boring, simple games to intense and complex
gaming experiences all due to the use of setting. Video games now have
realistic backgrounds, whereas the first video games (as far back as the
1950s) had blank or static (unchanging) backgrounds. There are popular
games designed in all time periods – past, present, and future – and in all
areas of the world, including underwater and in outer space, as well as
fantasy worlds.

Evolution of Video Games 2 1958-2015

Example 2
A second example of setting within pop culture is Game of Thrones by George R.
R. Martin. This is a novel that’s been made into a successful series. Setting is
a large basis of the story. The video below shows intro to the series, which
starts out with a map of the kingdom, an indication that setting will play an
important part in the story.
Game Of Thrones "Official" Show Open (HBO)

To help readers understand the place of setting, Martin has a map in the
front of the book so that they can see the location of plot events as the story
unfolds. Viewers watching the series are able to see the settings change by
following the scenes. Some settings are in castles, others in war camps.
These different places of the setting will affect how the characters act.
Characters in the castle are able to move about freely, may have servants
doing things for them (or they are the servants doing for others), and can
dress for comfort. However, the characters in the war camps have to move
carefully, do things for themselves, and must dress for safety from
instruments of war, such as swords. It’s clear that time and place move the
plot along.
Example 3
This video illustrates how both time and place of setting must be clear in
understanding the story. The aliens try to find the setting in a story, but
forgot one aspect.

Introduction to Reading Skills: Literary Analysis – Setting Time and Location

VII. Related Terms

Environment
Environment is the physical location. It includes conditions such as the
geographical properties (water, sand, mountains, etc.), the cultural and
social settings (school, place of worship, community, business, museum,
theatre, etc.), and weather or climate (storm, rain, sunshine, desert,
mountain range, plains, etc.). Most times, environment plays a large part in
the setting of any story.

VIII. Conclusion
Setting is an important literary device that is often taken for granted or
easily misunderstood. Creating clear depictions of time and place in a story
creates mood and moves the story along. Without setting, the plot line would
be confusing and boring. A key element of a strong setting is using
descriptive details, pulling on the reader’s senses.