Elements of Literature

1. Setting

The first of the story elements is the story setting. All stories have a setting. The setting
includes the time and place in which the story will be taking place.  There may be just
one story setting, such as in a short story that only takes place in a single room of a
house. Or, there may be many different settings spanning many locations and times,
such as stories that span generations or that have characters who travel the globe.

Common setting considerations are:

Time

Place

Alternative reality

In regards to time, stories can be set in the past, present, future, or even a mix of the
three. For example, Back to the Future uses all three settings. Marty McFly travels back
and forward in time, capturing the audience’s imagination as settings and time zones
change from scene to scene.

2. Characters

The next of the elements of a story is the characters. Of course, characters are one of the
most important elements of a novel or short story. The characters are the people (or
sometimes animals!) who are featured in a story. The different characters in a story that
you need to know about are: the protagonist, antagonist, static character, dynamic
character, and confidante character.

The protagonist is the hero of the story and central character. We’ll also usually call
them the ‘main character’. They will get most of the attention of the author. Every
narrative – whether it’s a novel or short story – will have a protagonist.
The antagonist is the opponent of the main character. This person stirs trouble and is
often the main cause of tension in the plot line. The hero’s role is often to prevent the
antagonist from doing harm to people.

3. Conflict

Nobody wants to read a novel or short story without conflict – so you’ll find every story
will have some sort of conflict. What would be the point? The conflict in a story is the
main challenge to overcome. It compels the plot forward and is usually resolved during
the plot’s climax.

The main types of conflict you will come across in a story are:

Protagonist vs Antagonist

Protagonist vs Nature

Protagonist vs Self

Protagonist vs Society

4. Theme

The next of the story elements is theme. The theme is the author’s central argument or
big idea they want to convey. Themes are often associated with a ‘moral of a story’ or
an analogy (a hidden meaning in the text). They attempt to convey a piece of wisdom or
fundamental truth about human nature for us to think about. Even in a short story there
will be a key theme.

Common types of themes include:

Good vs. evil

True love

The absurdity of life

The pain of war

Seeking freedom

Political corruption

The power of redemption

The importance of faith

5. Plot

The next of the story elements is the plot line. The plot is the sequence of events that tell
the story. Sometimes we call it the ‘narrative structure’. Another way to use the term
‘plot’ is to make a plan. For example, “There is a plot to rob a bank.”

Plots usually follow a familiar structure. We tell children that plots have a ‘Beginning’,
‘Middle’ and ‘End’ – and that might be true for a short story

Beginning: Introduce the characters and set the scene;

Middle: Introduce a complication and tell the story of how it is overcome

Ending: Resolve each character’s individual story and provide a sense of closure.

As students get older, we go into a bit more depth and use more formal terms:

Exposition: The exposition begins the story. It provides the necessary background

information like the setting and character details. It may also outline the relationships
between characters and any other important information. This section should set the
scene but also entertain the reader from page one.

Rising Action: The rising action part is the part of the story where “the plot thickens”.
Challenges, conflicts and complications are introduced during the rising action
segment. This is often the longest part of the story. Authors aim to create and build
tension as long as possible to entertain the reader and create a true ‘page turner’ of a
story.
Climax: After rising action comes climax. This is the turning point of the story where
the tensions in the plotline come to a head. A good climax may involve a twist or a big
reveal. Other examples of a climax might be a big battle, police chase or exposure of a
love affair.

Falling Action: After the climax comes falling action. I often find the falling action
segment is brief but may be necessary to conclude the key scenes that occurred in the
climax. During the falling action, tension starts to dissolve

Resolution (denoument): The resolution gives a sense of closure to the reader. It may tie
up loose ends in character plotlines and explain what becomes of the key characters
after the story. To use The Lord of the Rings example, the resolution shows Frodo
sailing to the Grey Havens and Sam marrying Rosie Cotton.

6. Point Of View

The next of the story elements is point of view. The point of view of a story has a big
impact on how the story will be told. Point of view also influences how the audience
will respond to it. There are three common points of view: first person, second person
and third person.

First person stories are told by the protagonist. You can tell a first person story from the
use of first person phrases like ‘I’ and ‘We’. A benefit of first person point of view is that
you can get inside the head of the main character. They can talk about what they’re
thinking and what their opinion is of all the other characters throughout the piece.

Second person stories are narrated by an outsider (not a character in the story), but talk
directly to the reader. It is like we are in a conversation with the author. This is called
‘breaking the fourth wall’. An example of second person is when the author directly
says ‘you’ to the reader.

Third person stories do not talk directly to the reader and do not insert themselves into
the story either. This is the most common type of point of view.  Most third person
books have an omniscient narrator. This means the narrator is an all-knowing person
who can get into characters’ heads and explain their thoughts. The author tells the story
as if looking through a looking glass. They refer to the characters (including the
protagonist) using terms like ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘they’.

7. Tone

Authors choose a tone to act as the backdrop to a story. The tone often overlaps with the
protagonist’s mood or circumstance. Tones include moods like:

Melancholy

Uplifting

Hopeful

Ominous

Intellectual