WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE PHRASE ‘ELEMENTS OF

LITERATURE’?

The phrase ‘elements of literature’ refers to the constituent parts of a work of

literature in whatever form it takes: poetry, prose, or drama.

Why are they important?

It’s important students understand these common elements if they are to

competently read or write a piece of literature.

Understanding the various elements is particularly useful when studying longer

works. It enables students to examine specific aspects of the work in isolation,
before piecing these separate aspects back together to display an understanding
of the work as a whole.

Having a firm grasp on how the different elements work can also be very useful
when comparing and contrasting two or more texts.

Not only does understanding the various elements of literature helps us to

answer literature analysis questions in exam situations, but it also helps us
develop a deeper appreciation of literature in general.

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE?

In this article, we will examine the following elements: plot, setting, character,
point-of-view, theme, tone.

Each of these broad elements has many possible subcategories and there is, of
course, some crossover between some of the elements - this isn’t Math after all!

There hundreds of terms associated with literature as a whole and I would

recommend viewing this glossary for a complete breakdown of these.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ELEMENT OF
LITERATURE AND A LITERARY DEVICE?

Elements of literature are present in every literary text. They are the essential
ingredients required to create any piece of literature, including poems, plays,
novels, short stories, feature articles, nonfiction books, etc.

Literary devices, on the other hand, are tools and techniques that are used to
create specific effects within a work. Think metaphor, simile, hyperbole,
foreshadowing, etc. We examine literary devices in detail in other articles on
this site.

While the elements of literature will appear in every literary text, not every
literary device will.

Now, let’s take a look at each of these oh-so-crucial elements of literature.

1: PLOT

Plot refers to all of the related things that happen in sequence in a story. The
shape of the plot comes from the order of these events and consists of several
distinct aspects that we’ll look at in turn.

The plot is made up of a series of cause and effect events that lead the reader
from the beginning of the story, through the middle, to the story’s ending
(though sometimes the chronological order is played with for dramatic effect).

Exposition: This is the introduction of the story and usually it will be where the
reader acquires the necessary background information they’ll need to follow the
various threads of the plot through to the end. This is also where the setting of
the story is established, the main characters are introduced to the reader, and the
central conflict begins to emerge.
Conflict: The conflict of the story serves as the focus and driving force of most
of the story’s action. Essentially, conflict consists of a central (and sometimes
secondary) problem. Without a problem or conflict, there is no story. Conflict
usually takes the form of two opposing forces. These can be external forces or,
sometimes, these opposing forces can take the form of an internal struggle
within the protagonist or main character.

Rising Action: The rising action of the narrative begins at the end of the
exposition. It usually forms most of the plot and begins with an inciting incident
that kick-starts a series of cause and effect events. The rising action builds on
tension and culminates in the climax.

Climax: After the introduction of the problem or central conflict of the story,
the action rises as the drama of the story unfolds in a series of causes and
effects. These events culminate in the story’s dramatic high point, known as the
climax. This is when the tension finally reaches its breaking point

Falling Action: This part of the narrative is made up of the events that happen
after the climax. Things begin to slow down and work their way towards the
story’s end, tying up loose ends on the way. We can think of the falling action
as a de-escalation of the story’s drama.

Resolution: This is the final part of the plot arc and represents the closing of the
conflict and the return of normality - or a new normality - in the wake of the
story’s events. Often, this takes the form of a significant change within the main
character. A resolution restores balance and order to the world or it brings about
a new balance and order.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: PLOT

Discuss a well-known story in class. Fairytales are an excellent resource for this
activity. Students must name a scene from each story that corresponds to each
of the sections of the plot as listed above: exposition, conflict, rising action,
climax, falling action, and resolution.
2: SETTING

Setting consists of two key elements: space and time. Space refers to the where
of the story; most often the geographical location where the action of the story
takes place. Time refers to the when of the story. This could be an historical
period, the present, or in the future.

The setting has some other aspects for the reader or writer to consider too. For
example, drilling down from the broader time and place, elements such as the
weather, cultural context, and physical surroundings, etc can be important.

The setting is a crucial part of a story’s exposition and is often used to establish
the mood of the story. A carefully crafted setting can be used to skillfully hint at
the story’s theme and to reveal some aspects of the various characters.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: SETTING

Gather up a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts. Students should go through

the selected texts and write two sentences about each that identify the settings of
each. The sentences should make clear where and when the stories take place.

3. CHARACTER

A story’s characters are the doers of the actions. Characters most often take
human form but, on occasion, a story can employ animals, fantastical creatures,
and even inanimate objects as characters.

Some characters are dynamic and change over the course of a story, while
others are static and do not grow or change as a result of the action of the story.

There are many different types of characters to be found in works of literature

and each serves a different function.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the most important of these.

Protagonist

The protagonist is the story’s main character. The story’s plot centers around
this character and they are usually sympathetic and likable for the reader, that is,
they are most often the ‘hero’ of the story.

Antagonist

The antagonist is the bad guy or girl of the piece. Most of the action of the plot
is borne of the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist.

Flat Character

Flat characters are one-dimensional characters that are purely functional in the
story. They are more a sketch than a detailed portrait and they help move the
action along by serving a simple purpose. We aren’t afforded much of an insight
into the interior lives of such characters.

Rounded Character

Unlike flat characters, rounded characters are more complex and drawn in more
detail by the writer. As well as being described in comprehensive physical
detail, we will gain an insight into the character’s interior life, their hopes, fears,
dreams, and desires, etc.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: SETTING

Choose a play that has been studied in class. Students should look at the
character list and then categorize each of the characters according to the types
listed above: protagonist, antagonist, flat character, or rounded character. As an
extension, can the students identify whether each character is dynamic or static
by the end of the tale?
4: POINT OF VIEW

Point of view in literature refers to the perspective through which you

experience the events of the story.

There are various advantages and disadvantages to the different points of view
available for the writer to choose from, but they can all be usefully categorized
according to whether they’re first person, second person, or third-person points
of view.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the most common points of view in each of
these categories.

First Person

The key to recognizing this point of view lies in the use of pronouns such as I,
me, my, we, us, our, etc. There are several different variations of the first-person
narrative, but they all have a single person narrating the events of the story
either as it unfolds, or in the past tense.

When considering a first-person narrative, the first question to ask is who is the
person telling the story. Let’s take a look at two main types of the first-person
point of view.

First Person Protagonist: This is when the main character of the story relates
the action first hand as he or she experiences or experienced it. As the narrator
is also the main character, the reader is placed right at the center of the action
and sees events unfold through the main character’s own eyes.

First Person Periphery: In this case, we see the story unfold, not the main
character’s POV, but from the perspective of a secondary character who has
limited participation in the story itself.

Second Person: This perspective is uncommon. Though it is hard to pull off

without sounding corny, you will find it in some books such as those Choose
Your Own Adventure type books. You can recognize this perspective through
the use of the 2nd person pronoun ‘you’.

Third Person Limited: From this perspective, we see events unfold from the
point of view of one person in the story. As the name suggests, we are limited to
seeing things from the perspective of the third person narrator and do not gain
insight into the internal life of the other characters, other than through their
actions as described by the third-person narrator (he, she, they, etc).

Third Person Omniscient: The great eye in the sky! The 3rd person omniscient
narrator, as the name suggests, knows everything about everyone. From this
point of view, nothing is off-limits. This allows the reader to peek behind every
curtain and into every corner of what is going on as the narrator moves freely
through time and space, jumping in and out of the characters’ heads along the
way.

Advantages and Disadvantages

As we’ve mentioned there are specific advantages and disadvantages to each of

the different points of view. While the third person omniscient point of view
allows the reader full access to each character, the third-person limited point of
view is great for building tension in a story as the writer can control what the
reader knows and when they know it.

The main advantage of the first-person perspective is that it puts the reader into
the head of the narrator. This brings a sense of intimacy and personal detail to
the story.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: POINT OF VIEW

Take a scene from a story or a movie that the student is very familiar with
(again, fairytales can serve well here). Students must rewrite the scene from
each of the different POV listed above: first-person protagonist, first-person
periphery, second-person, third-person limited, and third-person omniscient.
Finally, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of writing the scene from
each POV. Which works best and why?

5: THEME

If the plot refers to what happens in a story, then the theme is to do with what
these events mean.

The theme is the big ideas that are explored in a work of literature. These are
most often universal ideas that transcend the limits of culture, ethnicity, or
language. The theme is the deeper meaning behind the events of the story.

Importantly, the theme of a piece of writing is not to be confused with its

subject. While the subject of a text is what it is about, the theme is more to do
with how the writer feels about that subject as conveyed in the writing.

It is also important to note that while all works of literature have a theme, they
never state that theme explicitly. Although many works of literature deal with
more than one theme, it’s usually possible to detect a main theme amid the
minor ones.

The most commonly asked question about themes from students is ‘How do we
work out what the theme is?’

The truth is, how easy or how difficult it will be to detect a work’s theme will
vary greatly between different texts. The ease of identification will depend
largely on how straightforward or how complex the work is.

To identify the theme, students should look out for symbols and motifs within
the text. Especially symbols and motifs that repeat.

Students further need to understand that symbols are when one thing is used to
stand for another. While not all symbols are related to the theme of the text,
 when symbols are used repeatedly or found in a cluster, they usually relate to a
motif. This motif will in turn relate to the theme of the work.

Of course, this leads to the question: What exactly is a motif?

A motif is a recurring idea or an element that has symbolic significance.

Uncovering this significance will reveal the theme to a careful reader.

We can further understand the themes as concepts and statements. Concepts are
the broad categories or issues of the work, while statements are the position the
writer takes on those issues as expressed in the text.

Here are some examples of thematic concepts commonly found in literature:

 Love
 Revenge
 Justice
 Betrayal
 Jealousy
 Forgiveness

When discussing the theme of a work in any detail, identifying the thematic
concept will not be enough. Students will need to explore what the thematic
statements are in the text. That is, they need to identify the opinions the writer
expresses on the thematic concepts in the text.

For example, we might identify that a story is about forgiveness, that is, that
forgiveness is the primary thematic concept. When we identify what the work
says about forgiveness, such as forgiveness is necessary for a person to move on
with their life, we are identifying a thematic statement.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: THEME

Again, choose familiar stories to work with. For each story identify and write
down both the thematic concept and the thematic statement. For more complex
stories, there may be multiple themes that need to be identified.

6: TONE

Tone refers to how the theme is treated in a work. Two works may have the
same theme, but each may adopt a different tone in dealing with that theme. For
example, the tone of a text can be serious, comical, formal, informal, gloomy,
joyful, sarcastic, or sentimental, to name but eight.

The tone that the writer adopts influences how the reader reads that text. It
informs how the reader will feel about the characters and events described.

Tone helps to create the mood of the piece and gives life to the story as a whole.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: TONE

Find examples of texts that convey each of the 8 tones listed above: serious,
comical, formal, informal, gloomy, joyful, sarcastic, and sentimental. Give 3
examples from each text that convey that specific tone. The examples can be
drawn from direct quotations of the narrative or dialogue, or from a commentary
on the structure of the text.

Conclusion:

Though the essential elements of literature are few in number, they can take a
lifetime to master. The more experience a student gains in creating and
analyzing texts with reference to these elements, the more adept they will
become in their use.
Time invested in this area will reap rich rewards in terms of the skill with which
a student can craft a text and also in the level of enjoyment and meaning they
can derive from their reading.

Time well spent, for sure.