Elements of Fiction

Take Notes!!

The elements of fiction are: character, plot,

theme, setting, and style. Of these five
elements, character is the who, plot and theme
are the what, setting is the where and when, and
style is the how of a story.
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 Character
• The people (or animals, things, etc.
presented as people) presented in a
literary work
• Protagonist – the main character, ex.
Cinderella (The one we are for!)
• Antagonist – the character who stands
in opposition to the protagonist, ex.
wicked stepsisters

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 Characterization
• Characterization – reader’s ability to
understand the character
• We learn about characters by their
thoughts, words, actions, or
appearance

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 Plot
• Events and actions of a story
• Usually graphically shown as a triangle
• Beginning – exposition, before action
• Rising Action – conflicts and crisis
• Middle (sometimes) – climax
• Falling action – everything after climax
• End – resolution, tying together

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 Theme
• What the story is about
• Central idea or central message of the
story
• Usually contains some insight into the
human condition – tells something
about humans and life
• Can be stated directly or implied

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 Setting
• The place where the story takes place
• Geographical location, ex. London, Africa
• Time period, ex. 1865, during WWII, today
• Socio-economic characteristics of the
location, ex. weathly suburbs, depression
dustbowl
• Specific building, room, etc., ex. junior
high school, military base, log cabin, bus

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 Conflict
• Conflict - dramatic struggle between two
forces in a story - the essence of fiction,
creates plot
• Man vs Man - pits one person against
another.
• Man vs Nature - run-in with the forces of
nature
• Man vs Society - values by which everyone
else lives are being challenged
• Man vs Self - internal conflict - sometimes
people are their own worst enemies
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 Point of View
• POV refers to narrator’s relationship to the story
• Third person - most common - the classic
storytelling mode in which the storyteller is
recounting a series of events to an audience – “a
fly on the wall”
• First person - less frequent - the narrator is a
character in the story who takes actions, makes
judgments and has opinions and biases – “I, we,
my” used
• Second person – rarely used – Choose Your Own
Adventure children's books, in which the reader
actually makes decisions and jumps around the
book accordingly – “you” is used
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