LECTURE 1: ELEMENTS OF FICTION
o The weather such as cloudy, sunny, windy, snow, or
OBJECTIVES
 To know the elements of a story.
 To know the relationship of intangible cultural heritage
(ICH) or traditional knowledge (TK) to understanding
history, philosophy, and human values.
 To understand the belief and customs of early
civilization.
 To understand the philosophy or worldview of early
civilization.
SUGGESTED FRAMEWORK
 Title
 Author - life story
 History - story
 Elements of the Genre
 Language
 Culture
FICTION
- It is make-believe, invented stories. They may be short
stories, fables, vignettes, plays, novellas, or novels. Although
writers may base a character on people they have met in real
life, the characters and the experiences that the character
faces in the story are not real. *degree of imagination
NON-FICTION
- Narrative, real, creative non-fiction
6 KEY ELEMENTS OF FICTION
1.) CHARACTERS
- They are the people, animals, or aliens in the story. Readers
come to know the characters through what they say, what they
think, and how they act.
- Characters are either:
(a) FLAT CHARACTERS
– They do not play important roles in the stories. They
often have only one or two traits with little description
about them. A Flat Character may even be a stock
character, which is a stereotypical figure that is easily
recognized by readers, for example, the mad scientist
or the evil stepmother.
(b) ROUND CHARACTERS
– They play an important role, often the lead roles in
stories. They are complex, dimensional, and well-
developed. The stories are about them; therefore,
pages of writing will be about them. They often change
by going through a life-changing experience as the story
unfolds.
- When discussing stories with other readers and writers or
when writing an analysis of a story, fictional characters can be
described as:
(a) STATIC
– means the character stays the same throughout the
story. They do not change.
(b) DEVELOPING
– also called Dynamic, means the character changes.
The change may impact the character’s beliefs,
attitudes, or actions. The change may be small or large.
This change occurs because the character experiences
an epiphany, an insight about life.
- If writers write about characters outside their own culture,
they need to do research so as not to misrepresent a particular
culture. The same is also true of characters, who have
illnesses. The writer may need to research the illness and
treatment for it in order to be accurate about it.
2.) SETTING
- It is where and when the story takes place. It includes the
following: *Includes mood of environment
o The immediate surroundings of the characters such as
props in a scene: trees, furniture, food, inside of a
house or car, etc.
o The time of day such as morning, afternoon, or night.
rain, etc.
o The time of year, particularly the seasons: fall, winter,
summer, spring.
o The historical period such as what century or decade
the story takes place.
o The geographical location including the city, state,
country, and possibly even the universe, if the writer is
writing science fiction.
- Setting can function as a main force that the characters
encounter, such as a tornado or flood, or a setting can play a
minor role such as setting the mood. Oftentimes, the setting
can reveal something about the main character as he/she
functions in that place and time period.
- Writers write about places they are familiar with. If they aren’t
familiar with the place, then they need to research it in order to
be accurate about the place.
3.) PLOT
- It is the order of events in the story. The plot usually follows
a particular structure called Freytag’s Pyramid. Gustav
Freytag, a German playwright who lived during the 1800s,
identified this structure.
 5 STAGES OF FREYTAG’S PYRAMID
o EXPOSITION
- Is an introduction to the characters, time, and the
problem. At the point where exposition moves into
rising action a problem, sometimes called an Inciting
Incident, occurs for the main character to handle or
solve. This creates the beginning of the story.
o RISING ACTION
- Includes the events that the main character
encounters. Each event, developed in separate
scenes, makes the problem more complex.
o CLIMAX
- Is the turning point in the story. Usually, it is a
single event with the greatest intensity and
uncertainty. The main character must contend with
the problem at this point.
o FALLING ACTION
- Includes the events that unfold after the climax.
This usually creates an emotional response from the
reader.
o DENOUEMENT or RESOLUTION
- Provides closure to the story. It ties up loose ends
in the story. Do writers plan out their stories? Some
do, especially if they are an extreme think-write writer.
Some don’t. They have a story idea, begin it, and
watch it unfold as they write.
4.) CONFLICT
- It is the struggle between two entities. In story writing the
main character, also known as the protagonist (hero),
encounters a conflict with the antagonist (villain), which is an
adversary. The conflict may be one of six kinds:
o Character vs. Character
o Character vs. Nature or Natural Forces
o Character vs. Society or Culture
o Character vs. Machine or Technology
o Character vs. God
o Character vs Himself or Herself
5.) POINT OF VIEW
- Stories are generally told in one of two points of views:
 (a) FIRST-PERSON POINT OF VIEW
- Means that one of the characters in the story will
narrate–give an account–of the story. The narrator
may be the protagonist, the main character. Writing in
first-person point of view brings the readers closer to the
story.
- They can read it as if they are the character because
personal pronouns like I, me, my, we, us, and our are
used.
(b) THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW
- means that the narrator is not in the story. The third-
person narrator is not a character.
- Third-person point of view can be done two ways:
(1) Third-Person Limited means that the narrator
limits him/herself by being able to be in one
character’s thoughts.
(2) Third-Person Omniscient means the narrator has
unlimited ability to be in various character’s
thoughts. Writing in third-person POV removes
readers from the story because of the pronouns he,
she, it, him, her, his, hers, they, them, and theirs.
6.) THEME
- A theme is not the plot of the story. It is the underlying truth
that is being conveyed in the story. Themes can be universal,
meaning they are understood by readers no matter what
culture or country the readers are in. Common themes include
coming of age, circle of life, prejudice, greed, good vs.
evil, beating the odds, etc.
LECTURE 2: FRAMEWORK ON LITERATURE
PURPOSE OF LITERARY CRITICISM
- It is to broaden a reader’s understanding of an author’s work
by summarizing, interpreting, and exploring its value. After
giving the text a close reading, a critic formulates a
comprehensive literary analysis that can inform or challenge
another reader’s understanding of the text. The practice of
literary criticism creates space for readers to better understand
the beauty and complexity of the world through literature.
11 TRADITIONAL CRITICAL APPROACHES
Explore the wide variety of approaches to literary criticism.
*How is our approach on how we read
1.) HISTORICAL-BIOGRAPHICAL CRITICISM
- It examines literature through the perspective of the
author’s historical context. This approach assumes that the
significance of a particular piece of literature is inextricably
linked to its historical context. For example, historical-
biographical critics evaluate Shakespeare’s work within the
context of English literature, history, and culture during the late
sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
*When and where it was written
2.) MORAL-PHILOSOPHICAL CRITICISM
- This literary criticism style approaches literature based on its
ethical merits. The critics evaluate literary works based on the
moral statements and judgments the characters and
author express throughout the literary text.
*EX. idea about euthanasia (what is moral to me is not moral
to you), there are people who are against or pro-marijuana
- It’s about value system
3.) SOCIOLOGICAL CRITICISM
- It evaluates literature based on its relationship to society.
This method examines the author’s status in their society as
well as the effect that the literary work had on its audience
within the society. One form of sociological criticism is Marxist
Criticism, which examines how a specific work of literature
affirms or rejects oppression within class systems.
*Unity of opposites (if one is good, the other one is bad)
- We always look at social criticism, issues it’s there once we
left in our house (how we view society in general)
4.) PSYCHOANALYTIC CRITICISM
- This form of literary criticism examines literature based on the
psychological desires and neuroses of the characters within
a particular piece of literature. Psychoanalytic critics believe
that an author’s unconscious thoughts are expressed
through their work. *Looking at the mind of characters and
author
*How it is conceived in behavior’s perspective
- EX. Electra complex: female kid is very attach to her father,
she wants to get attention competing with her mom.
- EX. Icarus Complex: we always have the idea of going up
and up, mayabang na tao
- EX. Oedipus Complex: male child is competing his attention
with his mom, and against his dad
5.) PRACTICAL CRITICISM
- This study of literature encourages readers to examine the
text without regard to any outside context—like the author,
the date and place of writing, or any other contextual
information that may enlighten the reader.
6.) FORMALISM
- It compels readers to judge the artistic merit of literature
by examining its formal elements, like language and technical
skill. It favors a literary canon of works that exemplify the
highest standards of literature, as determined by formalist
critics.
*About language (very formal, ordinary/casual, etc. or form,
style, context), where and how did the author write the novel
7.) READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
- It is rooted in the belief that a reader's reaction to or
interpretation of a text is as valuable a source of critical
study as the text itself. *Voting – everybody has a right
8.) NEW CRITICISM
- New critics focused on examining the formal and structural
elements of literature, as opposed to the emotional or
moral elements. Poet T.S. Eliot and critics Cleanth Brooks
and John Crowe Ransom pioneered the approach in the mid-
twentieth century. *Same as formalism
9.) POST-STRUCTURALISM
- It abandoned ideas of formal and structural cohesion,
questioning any assumed universal truths as reliant on the
social structure that influenced them. One of the writers who
shaped post-structuralist criticism is Roland Barthes—the
father of semiotics, or the study of signs and symbols in art.
*How we look at the entire things, more linear
10.) FEMINIST CRITICISM
- As the feminist movement gained steam in the mid-
twentieth century, literary critics began looking to gender
studies for new modes of literary criticism. One of the earliest
proponents of feminist criticism was Virginia Woolf in her
seminal essay, A Room of One's Own. Other notable feminist
critics include Elaine Showalter and Hélène Cixous.
*Tells about gender or female rights/roles
11.) ARCHETYPAL
- It seeks to identify and analyze the presence and variance
of recognizable archetypes in works of literature.
- Literature, Myths, Dream, and Social Rituals.
3 BENEFITS OF LITERARY CRITICISM
Consider some of the benefits of practicing and reading literary
criticism.
1.) Literary criticism expands your worldview. By examining
works of literature through different approaches to literary
criticism, you expand your understanding of the world around
you. Each literary style encourages the critic and reader to
consider different perspectives from their own.
2.) Literary criticism helps you better understand literature.
Literary criticism can give you the tools to study, evaluate, and
interpret literary works like novels, short stories, and poems. If
you want to write a critical essay or book review about a
particular piece of literature, reading other examples of literary
criticism can help you learn how to frame your point of view.

3.) Literary criticism creates opportunities for new styles of

writing. With a vast number of approaches, the practice of
literary criticism creates space and context for authors to
create works of literature that push boundaries and break new
creative group.