literature review the elements of fiction

Elements of Fiction: Master the 6 Ingredients of Powerful Storytelling

by Ruthanne Reid | 29 comments

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Much of writing is instinctual, born of exposure to good stories and a lot of practice. However, there are some tools every writer needs to make their story professional and effective. Grammar and spelling are the obvious ones, but today, I'm talking about the key elements of fiction: character, plot, setting, point of view, theme, and style.

Good stories have great plots. To make yours better, check out our new book, check out my new book The Write Structure which helps writers make their plot better and write books readers love. Click to check out The Write Structure here »

The First Element of Fiction: Character

In many ways, characters are the foundation for the entire work. Is there conflict? That's going to involve the emotional and mental condition of your characters. Have you chosen a point of view? That's you following specific characters as you tell the story. Your characters are the people through whom your reader experiences the tale, and the trick is to make those fictional characters feel completely real through character development .

• You'll need to know their backstory . This doesn't mean your reader needs to know it, but your understanding of your character's history is crucial for how and why your character responds to things.
• You'll need at least a rudimentary grasp of psychology. You and I have both read books which annoyed us because the characters just didn't feel “real.” Often, this is because basic psychology was ignored, and the characters behaved in a way that made no sense for human beings.
• You'll need to understand the power of the character arc. Your character should not be the same at the end of the story as in the beginning. They change, and their growth is a key aspect of your story's momentum.

If your characters are flat, your readers will have trouble empathizing. But if your characters feel real and relatable, then your readers will eat your story up. Understanding what your characters do and say (and how other characters respond to them) helps to paint the fullest possible picture of your fictional creation.

The Second Element of Fiction: Plot

One small aside: plenty of fiction writers would start this list with plot , not character. Both are fine. Your characters live inside your plot, but your plot revolves around your characters. I just put plot second in this list because when I write, my plot follows my characters, rather than the other way around. If you do it differently, there's nothing to fear: you're still right! (I could say “write,” but you might click the back button.)

Plot is like a blueprint. Your plot, its connections, and its structure determine the way you shape your story. It includes the order in which your characters face things. It's the organized structure, the thing that will end up in an outline on Wikipedia (with spoiler alerts, of course).

The Six Stages of Plot

• Exposition or introduction, which establishes characters and setting.
• The inciting Incident is an event in a story that throws the main character into a challenging situation, upsetting the status quo and beginning the story’s movement, either in a positive way or negative.
• Rising action , which reveals the conflict. Now that your characters are established (along with some sense of what their “normal” looks like), you throw in the wrench and raise the stakes.
• The rising action builds to a dilemma , the moment a character is put in a situation where they have to make an impossible choice.
• Now comes the climax , also known as the turning point. This should be the greatest moment of tension in your story; everything is critical, with emotion and interest peaked. This is make-or-break, the moment when things matter the most.
• Finally, we have resolution (or what Joe likes to call the denouement ). Don't let the word fool you: this ending isn't necessarily happy or sad. It means everything has been solved, and your conclusion arrives at the place where all the events of the plot have strongly led. It feels final, or at least, final enough that the reader can put the book down without flipping back through the pages to see if they missed something. Again, this doesn't require a happy ending. It does require a satisfying one, even if you mean to continue in a sequel. If you've left any knots still tied, you'd better have a good reason why—and better make sure your reader has a clue that the answers are coming soon.

Before we move on, I want to circle back and remind you that you need conflict in your story. A lot of authors struggle with this since conflict is by nature deeply uncomfortable. However, every really good story has some kind of conflict—even if that conflict is purely an internal struggle with a heavy emotion.

Extra: If you want to dive deeper into writing an effective plot, take a look at Joe's book The Write Structure .

The Third Element of Fiction: Setting

Setting is one of my personal favorite elements. This includes the physical location (real or invented) and the social environment of the story (including chronology, culture, institutions, etc.).

I love setting because, in many ways, it's like a character. No, your setting doesn't have feelings, but your characters are forced to interact with it everywhere they go and in everything they do. Your setting actually develops who your characters are.

How setting impacts characters

It determines, among other things:

• The skills they've developed to survive
• The tools they'll have (weapons, money, clothing, transportation)
• The cultural norms for communication (speech, body language, and relative rules for communication between genders, classes, and more)
• The presuppositions your character brings into the story (religion, psychology, philosophy, educational assumptions, all of which have a lot to do with the way your characters respond to stimuli)

When designing your setting, it's a good idea to have some idea how it all works. What's the weather like? How does the economy function? Do they use money? Where does pancake batter come fruom?

Are you copying a historical culture? (And if you are, I highly advise looking for something that isn't European. Mix it up! The world is a glorious patchwork of variety.)

Your characters have to swim through this world, so have fun with this. Creating your setting (also known as world-building) can be one of the most exciting parts of writing.

The Fourth Element of Fiction: Point-of-View

Point of View is a fun and tricky tool to work with. POV determines things like tense and how much the reader gets to see. There's first-person (I, my), second-person (you, your), and third-person/narrator (she, hers). There's present tense (I see/she sees), past tense, (I saw/she saw), and even that cockamamie future tense nobody uses (I will see/she will see).

It's the combination of these things that create an effective POV. So how do you choose?

It all depends on (1) the particular feel you're going for and (2) how much your reader needs to see.

Questions to ask when choosing point of view

• Urban fantasy, for example, is almost always first-person past-tense, because they're going for the feel of a person telling you an exciting thing that happened. There's an intimate, immediate feel that goes with this close-up-and-personal viewpoint, like seeing the fist come right for your face.
• On the other hand, literary fiction usually uses third-person. The reason is simple: literary fiction usually has a much broader scope than urban fantasy and so needs to be able to take the reader to a bird's-eye view, usually seeing through multiple characters. The pace is often a little slower, but the impact can be deeply powerful, and tends to explore consequences.
• Is it essential that the reader sees things happening outside your protagonist's point of view? Do they need to see things your protagonist does not see, or hear things your protagonist does not hear? Then you need third-person POV.
• Do you actually need the reader to discover things at the same pace as your protagonist? Do you want your reader to waffle and rage with your protagonist, seeking for answers? Then first-person might be better.

Variety is the spice of life, and you have the joy of mixing and matching as you need.

• Want third-person present tense? (She turns and sees him, and wonders if unexpected encounters can stop one's heart.)
• Want first-person past tense? (I turned and saw him, and found myself wondering if unexpected encounters could stop my heart.)
• Want second-person future tense? (You will turn and see him, and you will wonder if the unexpected encounter will stop your heart.)

Study up on how these work, and you have a whole new set of tools to play with.

The Fifth Element of Fiction: Theme

Theme is a hidden element, but incredibly important: in essence, theme is what your story is REALLY about.

The plot is the outward details, e.g., “A son stands to inherit his father's vast business empire, but only if he can prove himself to be a responsible adult by the age of 25.” Theme would be what it's really about, e.g., “Growing up requires choices.” Or, “‘Family' means more than wealth.” If you're really good, you can even use a one-word theme, like love, truth, adulthood, etc.

Yes, all fictional books have themes, even if it wasn't intentional. Even authors who aren't aware of theme use it—personal beliefs on how the world works (or should work) always flavor the story.

The tricky thing about theme is it should rarely be bluntly stated in your work; the moment you do, your work slides into the “preachy” category. Of course, sometimes, you want folks to know what the purpose is up front, but if you can manage to make it subtle—to get that point across without ever frankly stating it—your readers will actually take it to heart a lot more deeply.

Think about it. Simply reading about something like statistics on autism might make you think, but entering into the story of a character struggling with it (such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime ) can do a lot more to help you really feel and understand the challenges and cultural barriers faced.  Effective stories are written by authors who knew the theme. What's yours?

Examples of theme

• My first book,  The Sundered , is about growing up and realizing you've been lied to.
• My first novelette,  The Christmas Dragon , carries the theme that running away doesn't solve problems.
• My second novelette,  Strings , is about the choice—and cost—of heroism.

However, in all three books, I do what I can to make sure that readers don't feel “moralized” at. Instead, I want the reader to emotionally arrive at these conclusions alongside the protagonists.

Effective stories are written by authors who know their theme. What's yours? (Need help choosing one? Check this out: When Choosing Themes, Write What You Don't Know .)

By the way, this “theme” concept has some nifty corollaries. A symbol, for example, shows up to represent individual details within the story (e.g., glass breaking at the moment a friendship fails), and a motif is a narrative element that shows up repeatedly throughout the tale (e.g., “Quote the Raven, ‘Nevermore'”). Read more here:  The Difference Between Symbol and Motif .

The Sixth Element of Fiction: Style

Style is awesome. It is needed. Style is the thing that makes your work stand out from everybody else's, because in essence, it's your “voice.”

You develop style by working on technique. Your syntax, word choices, and tone all contribute to this. Your style can demonstrate not only your voice as a writer, but is crucial to indicating details about your story and characters. Style shows accent and dialect, character intelligence and observation; it shows the underlying humor or drama of your piece. Your style is your unique flavor, and developing it will not only take your entire writing career, but is also one of the most rewarding activities as a writer.

Developing your writing style takes work; there are no short-cuts for this, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun.

• Read a lot. The more variety you pour into yourself, the more ingredients you'll have to cook with as you develop your style. Read books from different countries, different genders, different cultures. Read everything and learn as you go.
• Write a lot. No writing is ever wasted. Practice, practice, and practice some more—and spend time reading your work out loud. (That last step can be embarrassing, but it's really helpful.)
• Listen. Listen to people. Listen to conversations. Tone is a crucial component of style, and you'll need to learn how to convey that in your work—but you can't convey it if you don't know what it sounds like.

Final Thoughts on the Six Elements of Fiction

I know what you're thinking: this seems like a lot. And you're right, it is; however, if you're an avid reader, I think you'll find you're already familiar with most of these concepts. The great stories you know and love all use them, and if you are passionate about your story, incorporating theme will not be as hard as it might seem.

You can do this. Now go and start writing!

Have you considered the six elements of fiction in your story? Which one is the first you consider when you start a story? Let us know in the comments below !

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Take  fifteen minutes and analyze your current work. Pick one of these elements (preferably not one you are familiar with) and apply it to your story.

When you’re finished, share your work in the Pro Practice Workshop here .  Not a member yet? Join us here !

Ruthanne Reid

Best-Selling author Ruthanne Reid has led a convention panel on world-building, taught courses on plot and character development, and was keynote speaker for The Write Practice 2021 Spring Retreat.

Author of two series with five books and fifty short stories, Ruthanne has lived in her head since childhood, when she wrote her first story about a pony princess and a genocidal snake-kingdom, using up her mom’s red typewriter ribbon.

When she isn’t reading, writing, or reading about writing, Ruthanne enjoys old cartoons with her husband and two cats, and dreams of living on an island beach far, far away.

P.S. Red is still her favorite color.

29 Comments

I think that this view of separating fiction into pieces works great, but to be honest, I like how Larry Brook’s Six Core Competencies of Storytelling works for me, so I think I’m gonna stick to that. But great post anyways!

Awesome, Mikhela! I’m very familiar with those. I think you’ll find it really helpful if you see that these are not in competition. Most of the items are the same; the ones that differ are literally just breaking down the broad categories (which I didn’t invent) above.

1. Concept—this is actually how your plot starts.

2. Character—identical. 🙂

3. Theme—identical. 🙂

4. Structure—This is the technical breakdown of your plot! Think of it as detailed blueprints.

5. Scene execution—the fine details, breaking down your outline points of plot into even smaller pieces.

6. Writing voice—style. 🙂

See? Isn’t it awesome how it all works together?

What about conflict and resolution?

Hi, Yiro! I already talked about those in the “plot” section. 🙂 They’re two of the five elements of plot.

Thanks. I’ve learned something.

Ruthanne, thank you for a wonderful post. Your post got me all excited about trying to write fiction again, and I hope I will soon. The way you narrated the Elements made it sound to be an exciting activity.

I’m so glad to hear this, Sarkis! Writing can definitely be fun, and nobody ever said learning technical aspects had to be boring. 🙂 I look forward to what you write!

What a magnificent reference tool, Ruthanne. Thanks for putting it all into words. And for the encouragement to make it work! We appreciate you.

Thank you, Ruth! I’m really glad it’s useful, and I appreciate you, too! Seeing you writerly-types succeed is why I do this. 🙂

I want to mirror Ruth’s comments. The information is well given, and the examples make it readable. Thanks for taking time to provide such wonderful information.

Joe, I’m delighted to hear that! I hope your writing benefits mightily. 🙂

The breath sucked from Julia’s lungs.

Sean’s presence brought memories rushing to the front of her mind, crowding out every other thought and pushing back the restaurant activity around her.

She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes and tears flooded them.

She had to get out. But she couldn’t let him see her.

“Julia,” Shadow said.

She lifted her face from her hands. She’d forgotten he was there across from her at the booth.

“You ok?”

Words rose in her throat, but stopped there. Sean’s presence made her insides feel like raw eggs. If only she weren’t psychic – then she could convince herself that Sean was not there.

Shadow spoke again. “What’s wrong?”

At last she found her voice, though it was a whisper. “The man who tried to…” She searched for a word to replace the ugly truth. “…to hurt me, is here.” Trembling seized her. She hugged herself, shutting her mind to every other person in the room in order to block out Sean.

Shadow stared at her, then swiveled his head toward the restaurant entrance. “What does he look like?”

“About six feet tall, short, light brown hair.” A shiver rushed through her.

She watched Shadow’s eyes scan over the room. After a few moments, his gaze stopped. A muscle in his jaw twitched and something dark passed through his eyes.

With a slow movement, Shadow edged out of the booth and stood. “Come on,” he said, extending his hand.

As Shadow helped her out of the booth and backed toward the outside patio of the restaurant, he held her hand, and Julia clung to the strength of his grip.

I guess this really combines a couple of the items mentioned in your article. Any feedback/comments are welcome.

Thank you for the insightful article, Ruthanne!

I really enjoyed this. I don’t write fiction and I don’t write dialogue, so I’m impressed with the flow of this scene. It unfolded really well and brought me into the scenario quickly. My pulse even quickened! Good work 🙂

Thank you so much!

This is an awesome story!! Good job. I LOVE how you wrote this story. Keep it up!

Thank you Renee!

Hi. I have been writing since 2012. I have written a lot of stories. I am happy to share my book with you. Please visit my blog to download the book free. I would like you to read my writings and send me feedback. My blog address is RizwanAhmedMemon.blogspot.com

Is first person present tense an acceptable combination to use? I noticed it wasn’t listed and was just wondering

Of course you can! It all depends on what effect you want: first person present tense usually gives a very personal, and immediate feel, as if the action is happening right here and now.

This is helpful. Thanks a lot.

What a great article Ruthanne. So jam packed with valuable, instantly useable tools and information. Thank you! Makes me want to have a crack at fiction! Who knows? 🙂

It’s also good for your character to oppose the plot, like if she has to swim across oceans, make her terrified of water. If she has to take an airplane, make her afraid of flying! That way, she has to overcome internal conflict as well as external, which makes the plot that much more interesting.

Cool. Thanks for the tip.

Renée sharpens her pencil, ready to begin yet another story. “But what to write about?” she wonders aloud. Renée looks through Ruthanne Reid’s latest post, The 6 Elements of Fiction. How to involve conflict? “Real” characters, present tense, plot, and setting…. What a lot of stuff to add! At least its helpful, right? “Wow,” she says. “I might try some of this!” The pencil is getting dull from doodling. Renée looks out the window nearest the chair she is sitting in. “Maybe in an hour…” she thinks absently. “What did I just say?!?” Renée shouts. Oh, whoops. “Did I actually just do that out loud?” she thinks, groaning. “Okay! Spirits up, start writing,” demands Renée of herself. Then she puts the pencil to the paper and starts writing. And if you just read this, you know what exactly she wrote.

Cute story Renee! Loved it.

This was necessary for me to read. I have to be reminded of the different parts of a story. A food one. I forget. Thanks so much!

Would it be cheeky for me to enter a bit from the Preface of third book, Australia Ahoy? As you can see–imagine–bet–conclude from this, I live in a country I wasn’t born in. Here goes, anyway: “For the back (cover), I chose a painting from the Life Class at Worthing School of Art, which I attended in the evenings. Our tutor was a flouncy young Irishman, who favoured lightning short poses, which wasn’t a fat lot of use to me as a painter. But fortunately, I was able to persuade to get the model to adopt the same decorous pose for several weeks running, which I regard a a major triumph. The picture could never have been produced otherwise. I remember another exchange I had with him; one that was not so fruitful. He’d been talking about Michelangelo. I said “But Michelangelo didn’t really do a lot of painting, did he?” He raised an eyebrow at that, but was gracious enough to agree with me, saying “No. I suppose not really. If you don’t count the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.”

So inspired to write my first memoir.

I keep finding this but not what goes into an actual narrative. What would be the proper mix of Action, dialogue, thoughts, emotion, description, flashbacks and narrative summary? Is there such a thing as a proper mix or not? Is it just a matter of personal taste and style?

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7 Elements of Fiction: ProWritingAid's Expert Guide

Hannah Yang

Table of Contents

Elements of fiction: definition, the 7 elements of fiction, examples of the most famous elements of fiction in literature, elements of fiction: conclusion.

We live in a world full of stories. Novels, short stories, myths, and even plays are all forms of fiction.

All works of fiction are built using the same blocks. So what exactly are those building blocks, and how do they work?

This article will explain the seven elements of fiction and show you examples of what they look like in famous novels.

There are seven elements of fiction that can be found in any story, regardless of the form the narrative takes. These elements are character , plot , setting , theme , point of view , conflict , and tone.

All seven elements work together to create a coherent story. When you’re writing a story, these are the fundamental building blocks you should use.

You can approach the seven elements in any order. For example, you can start with tone—you might know you want to write a funny story, or a scary story. Or you can start with setting—you might decide you want to set the story in your own hometown.

Eventually though, you’ll need all seven elements to make your story complete.

Here’s an in-depth guide to the seven elements of fiction that every fiction writer and reader should know.

Element 1: Character

Characters are the players within a story. They can be human beings, animals, aliens, or even sentient objects. As long as they make decisions within the story, they’re characters.

Most stories have a main character , or multiple main characters. Some have antagonists who prevent the main characters from achieving their goals. There are also side characters , romantic interests, and many other roles that fictional characters can take in a story.

In a well-written story, each character has a distinct appearance, personality, and motivation. They should be rounded characters who drive the story forward by pursuing their individual goals rather than flat characters who behave like cardboard cut-outs.

Element 2: Plot

Plot refers to the events that happen within the story. It includes every major turning point that the characters experience.

In general, every story has a beginning , middle, and end.

The beginning is the exposition, where the key events of the story are set into action. The middle is the rising action, where progressive complications raise the stakes. And finally, the end is the resolution, where the story gets wrapped up.

Element 3: Setting

Setting is a broad term for the world the story takes place in.

On a macro level, setting might include the country the characters live in and the climate of that country. On a micro level, setting can include the room the characters are standing in, the time of day a scene takes place, or even the day-to-day weather.

Settings can sometimes take on symbolic meanings. For example, the never-ending winter in Narnia in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe represents the tyranny of the White Witch’s rule.

Setting includes time as well as place. A story might take place over the span of a single night, like in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, or an entire lifetime, like in A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

You can use ProWritingAid’s Sensory Report to make sure you’re using all five sense to describe the setting in your story. The more sensory descriptions you use, the more your setting will come to life.

Element 4: Theme

Theme refers to the philosophical questions your story explores.

Often, theme is revealed in the lesson the protagonist needs to learn. For example, one of the themes of Shelley’s science fiction book Frankenstein is that scientists shouldn’t use their powers to create new beings without considering the consequences.

Theme can also be revealed through the core conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist.

For example, in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the antagonist, Voldemort, doesn’t love anybody, while the protagonist, Harry, is protected by the love of his family and friends. Thus, the power of love is a major theme in the series.

Element 5: Point of View

Point of view (POV) is the perspective from which a story is told.

In English class, you might have learned about the four basic POVs:

First person (“I”)

Second person (“you”)

Limited third person (“he, she, they” in one character’s head)

Omniscient third person (“he, she, they” from an all-seeing perspective)

POV is closely intertwined with form and structure. For example, if your story takes the form of advice offered to someone else, second person makes sense. On the other hand, if your story takes the form of a diary entry, first person makes sense.

Element 6: Conflict

Conflict is what prevents the protagonist from achieving their goals. All fiction writing requires conflict because otherwise there would be no story, just a happy ending.

For example, imagine your protagonist’s goal is to get back home as quickly as possible. The conflict can be as small as a late bus that delays their return, or as large as an earthquake that tears their hometown apart.

There are seven types of conflict: character vs character , character vs self , character vs society , character vs fate , character vs nature , and character vs technology .

Conflict is important because it’s what makes the story interesting. There would be no story if everyone could easily achieve everything they wanted. Adding meaningful obstacles for the characters to overcome is key for creating a compelling story.

Element 7: Tone

Tone helps the author evoke emotion.

When you’re reading or writing, ask yourself: What feeling is this story meant to evoke in the reader? Fear? Amusement? Thoughtfulness? Dread?

Tone is closely related to genre. If you’re writing a thriller, you might want to go for a scary and suspenseful tone. If you’re writing a romantic comedy, you might lean toward a lighter and more humorous tone.

Stories can vary their tones on a scene level. Even a thriller should have lighthearted scenes, and romantic comedies should have serious scenes.

(SPOILER ALERT: There are minor spoilers ahead for The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.)

Let’s look at the seven elements of fiction in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a young adult (YA) dystopian novel.

Character : The protagonist is Katniss Everdeen, who competes in the Hunger Games. Other major characters include her love interest Peeta Mellark, her younger sister Primrose Everdeen, and the other contestants in the Hunger Games.

Plot : The plot kicks off when Katniss volunteers for the Hunger Games to protect her sister. The rest of the plot follows Katniss training for and competing in the Games.

Setting : The setting is the nation of Panem. Specific settings include District 12, the impoverished district where Katniss grew up; the glittering Capitol, where the rich citizens live in blissful ignorance; and the arena, where the Games take place.

Theme : The themes of the story include power and oppression, suffering as entertainment, and inequality.

Point of View : Katniss is the first-person narrator.

Conflict : The primary conflict is character vs character when Katniss and the other tributes battle one another. Other forms of conflict are present as well, such as the character vs society conflict when Katniss confronts the dystopian society she lives in.

Tone : The writing style of the book is fast-paced and suspenseful, often evoking fear and excitement, as Katniss tells the reader about the life-and-death situations she’s experiencing.

Now let’s look at the seven elements of fiction in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a classic work of literary fiction.

Character : The protagonist is Jay Gatsby, the Great Gatsby himself. Other key characters include his friend Nick Carraway, his love interest Daisy Buchanan, and Daisy’s husband Tom Buchanan.

Plot : The plot follows Jay Gatsby as he throws lavish parties in an attempt to win back Daisy, the love of his life. Over the course of the story, he courts her and nearly convinces her to leave her husband for him, but ultimately loses his life as a result of his efforts.

Setting : The setting is New York in the 1920s during the Jazz Age. Specific settings include West Egg, East Egg, the valley of ashes, and New York City.

Theme : The themes of the story include the American Dream, love and marriage, and dissatisfaction with life in spite of wealth and status.

Point of View : The book is written in the first person from Nick’s point of view. This POV is sometimes called first-person witness, since the narrator isn’t the same person as the protagonist.

Conflict : The primary conflict is character vs self conflict as Gatsby tries to achieve the American Dream and prove to Daisy he’s a great man. There’s also character vs character conflict between Gatsby and the other characters.

Tone : The tone of the book is serious and reflective while Nick reflects on Gatsby’s story and relays it to the reader.

Now you know the key elements that make a story work! Here’s a quick recap:

Point of view

What do these elements look like in your favorite stories? Let us know in the comments.

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Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.

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4.5: How to Analyze Fiction - Elements of Literature

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• Heather Ringo & Athena Kashyap
• City College of San Francisco via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

Elements of Literature

Before you dive straight into your analysis of symbolism, diction, imagery, or any other rhetorical device, you need to have a grasp of the basic elements of what you're reading. When we read critically or analytically, we might disregard character, plot, setting, and theme as surface elements of a text. Aside from noting what they are and how they drive a story, we sometimes don't pay much attention to these elements. However, characters and their interactions can reveal a great deal about human nature. Plot can act as a stand-in for real-world events just as setting can represent our world or an allegorical one. Theme is the heart of literature, exploring everything from love and war to childhood and aging.

With this in mind, you can begin your examination of literature with a “who, what, when, where, how?” approach. Ask yourself “Who are the characters?” “What is happening?” “When and where is it happening?” and “How does it happen?” The answers will give you character (who), plot (what and how), and setting (when and where). When you put these answers together, you can begin to figure out theme, and you will have a solid foundation on which to base your analysis.

We will be exploring several of the following literary elements in the following pages so that we can have a common vocabulary to talk about fiction:

• Rhetorical Devices

Here are a few questions to ask when looking at some of the main elements of fiction. We will be looking at each of these in more detail in the following pages.

Setting is a description of where and when the story takes place.

• Geography, weather, time of day, social conditions?
• What role does setting play in the story? Is it an important part of the plot or theme? Or is it just a backdrop against which the action takes place?
• Study the time period which is also part of the setting
• Does it take place in the present, the past, or the future?
• How does the time period affect the language, atmosphere, or social circumstances of the novel?

Characterization

Characterization deals with how the characters are described.

• through dialogue?
• by the way they speak?
• physical appearance? thoughts and feelings?
• interaction – the way they act towards other characters?
• Are they static characters who do not change?
• Do they develop by the end of the story?
• What type of characters are they?
• What qualities stand out?
• Are they stereotypes?
• Are the characters believable?

Plot and structure

The plot is the main sequence of events that make up the story.

• What are the most important events?
• How is the plot structured? Is it linear and chronological or does it move back and forth?
• Are there turning points, a climax, and/or an anticlimax?
• Is the plot believable?

Narrator and Point of View

The narrator is the person telling the story. Point of view : whose eyes the story is being told through.

• Who is the narrator or speaker in the story?
• Is the narrator the main character?
• Does the author speak through one of the characters?
• Is the story written in the first person “I” point of view?
• Is the story written in a detached third person “he/she/they” point of view?
• Is the story written in an “all-knowing” third person who can reveal what all the characters are thinking and doing at all times and in all places?

Conflict or tension is usually the heart of the novel and is related to the main character.

• Is it internal where the character suffers inwardly?
• Is it external, caused by the surroundings or environment the main character finds themself in?

The theme is the main idea, lesson, or message in the novel. It is usually an abstract, universal idea about the human condition, society or life, to name a few.

• How does the theme shine through in the story?
• Are any elements repeated that may suggest a theme?
• What other themes are there?

The author’s style has to do with the author’s vocabulary, use of imagery, tone, or feeling of the story. It has to do with his attitude towards the subject. In some novels the tone can be ironic, humorous, cold, or dramatic.

• Is the text full of figurative language?
• Does the author use a lot of symbolism? Metaphors, similes? An example of a metaphor is when someone says, "My love, you are a rose." An example of a simile is "My darling, you are like a rose."
• What images are used?

Your literary analysis of a novel will often be in the form of an essay or book report where you will be asked to give your opinions of the novel at the end. To conclude, choose the elements that made the greatest impression on you. Point out which characters you liked best or least and always support your arguments. Try to view the novel as a whole and try to give a balanced analysis.

These are the Elements of Literature, the things that make up every story. This is the first of two videos.

Video 4.5.1 : Elements of literature with Mr. Taylor: Part I

Video 4.5.2 Elements of literature with Mr. Taylor: Part II

Contributors and Attributions

• Adapted from Writing About Literature: The Basics by CK-12, license CC-BY-NC
• Adapted from How to Analyze a Novel by Carol Dwankowski, provided by NDLA, license CC-BY-SA

Elements of Literature

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?

Students must 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 help 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 ?

This article will examine the following elements: plot , setting, character, point-of-view, theme, and tone. Each of these broad elements has many possible subcategories, and there is some crossover between some elements – this isn’t Math , after all!

Hundreds of terms are associated with literature as a whole, and I 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 look at each of these oh-so-crucial elements of literature.

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Plot refers to all related things that happen in the sequence of 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 comprises a series of cause-and-effect events that lead the reader from the story’s beginning, 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. Usually, it will be where the reader acquires the necessary background information they’ll need to follow the various plot threads through to the end. This is also where the story’s setting is established, the main characters are introduced to the reader, and the central conflict emerges.

Conflict: The conflict of the story serves as the focus and driving force of most of the story’s actions. 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 introducing the problem or central conflict of the story, the action rises as the drama 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 comprises 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 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 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.

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 a historical period, the present, or the future.

The setting has other aspects for the reader or writer to consider. For example, drilling down from the broader time and place, elements such as the weather, cultural context, 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 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 due to the story’s action.

There are many different types of characters to be found in works of literature, and each serves a different function.

Now, let’s look at some of the most important of these.

Protagonist

The protagonist is the story’s main character. The story’s plot centers around these characters, who are usually sympathetic and likable to the reader; that is, they are most often the ‘hero’ of the story.

The antagonist is the bad guy or girl of the piece. Most of the plot’s action 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 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, desires, etc.

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 abovementioned types: 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 story’s events. 

There are various advantages and disadvantages to the different points of view available for the writer, 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 look at some of the most common points of view in each category.

First Person

The key to recognizing this point of view is using pronouns such as I, me, my, we, us, our, etc. There are several variations of the first-person narrative , but they all have a single person narrating the story’s events 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 look at two main types of the first-person point of view.

First-Person Protagonist : This is when the story’s main character 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 eyes.

First-Person Periphery: In this case, we see the story unfold, not from the main character’s POV but from the perspective of a secondary character with 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 by using the second 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.

We have a complete guide to point of view here for further details.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: POINT OF VIEW

Take a scene from a story or a movie that the student is familiar with (again, fairytales can serve well here). Students must rewrite the scene from each of the different POVs 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?

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

Notably, 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 about 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 central 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 significantly between different texts. The ease of identification will depend mainly on how straightforward or complex the work is.

Students should look for symbols and motifs within the text to identify the theme. Especially symbols and motifs that repeat. 

Students must understand that symbols are when one thing is used to stand for another. While not all symbols are related to the text’s theme, 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:

• Forgiveness

When discussing a work’s theme in 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 it is necessary for a person to move on with their life, we identify a thematic statement.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: THEME

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

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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 eight tones listed above: serious, comical, formal, informal, gloomy, joyful, sarcastic, and sentimental. Give three examples from each text that convey that specific tone. The examples can be drawn from direct quotations of the narrative or dialogue or 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 regarding these elements, the more adept they will become in their use.

Time invested in this area will reap rich rewards regarding the skill with which a student can craft a text and the level of enjoyment and meaning they can derive from their reading. 

Time well spent, for sure.

TEACHING RESOURCES

Other great articles related to elements of literature.

7 ways to write great Characters and Settings | Story Elements

Teaching The 5 Story Elements: A Complete Guide for Teachers & Students

Short Story Writing for Students and Teachers

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Literary Elements: What are the 7 Elements of Literature?

by Fija Callaghan

Literary elements in storytelling can cause a lot of confusion, and even a bit of fear, among new writers. Once you’re able to recognize the literary elements of a story you’ll realize that they’re present in absolutely everything.

All stories are made up of basic structural building blocks such as plot, character, and theme, whether it’s a riveting Friday night TV series, a two-hundred-thousand-word Dickensian novel of redemption, or a trashy paperback about fifty shades of highly inappropriate workplace relations. Once you understand how these elements of story take shape from our literary elements list, you’ll be able to use them to explore entire worlds of your own.

What are literary elements?

Literary elements are the common structural elements that every story needs to be successful. The seven elements of literature are character, setting, perspective, plot, conflict, theme, and voice. These elements are the building blocks of good stories because if any are missing, the story will feel incomplete and unsatisfying. Applying these elements is critical to crafting an effective story.

Here’s an example of why literary elements matter in storytelling:

The cat sat on the chair is an event. A small, quiet happenstance with a beginning and an ending so closely entwined that you almost can’t tell one from the other.

The cat sat on the dog’s chair is a story.

Why? Because with the addition of one little word, suddenly this quiet happenstance is glowing with possibility. We have our characters—a cat and a dog, whose relationship is gently hinted at with the promise of being further explored. We have our setting—a chair, which has taken on new importance as the central axis of this moment. And, perhaps most importantly, we have our conflict. An inciting moment where two characters want something and we know that these desires can’t exist side by side. This is a story.

All stories come from these basic building blocks that we call “literary elements.” Without them, seeds of a story like this one can’t grow into rich, full narratives.

You may already be able to identify some or all of these literary elements from the stories you’ve experienced throughout your life, whether that’s through reading them or from watching them in films or on television. Once you know what these literary elements of a story are and how they fit together, you’ll be able to create vivid, engaging stories from your own little seeds.

What’s the difference between literary elements vs. literary devices?

Sometimes you’ll see a “literary elements list” or “literary devices list” that toss the two together in one big storytelling melange, but literary elements and literary devices are actually two very distinct things. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Literary elements

These are things that every single story needs to have in order to exist—they’re the architectural foundation. Without them, your story is like a house without any supports; it’ll collapse into a sad, lifeless pile of rubble, and you’ll hear your parents tossing around unfeeling words like “day job” when talking about your writing.

Literary devices

A literary device , on the other hand, refers to the many tools and literary techniques that a writer uses to bring a story to life for the reader. The difference is like the difference between making a home instead of merely building a house.

You can have a very simple story without any literary devices at all, but it would do little other than serve a functional purpose of showing a beginning, middle, and end. Literary devices are what bring that basic story scaffolding to life for the reader. They’re what make the story yours .

Some of the most common literary devices are things like metaphors, similes, imagery, language, and tons more. By experimenting with different literary devices and literary techniques in your own writing, you open up the full expanse of potential in creating literary works.

Once you’ve got a handle on the literary elements that we’re going to show you and how to apply them to your own narrative, you can check out our lesson on popular literary devices to find ways to bring new richness and depth to your work.

The 7 elements of literature

1. character.

The most fundamental of the literary elements, the root of all storytelling, is this: character .

No matter what species your main character belongs to, what their socio-ethno-economic background is, what planet they come from, or what time period they occupy, your characters will have innate needs and desires that we as human beings can see within ourselves. The longing for independence, the desire to be loved, the need to feel safe are all things that most of us have experienced and can relate to when presented through the filter of story.

The first step to using this literary element is easy, and what most new writers think of when they start thinking about characters. it’s simply asking yourself, who is this person? (And again, I’m using “person” in the broadest possible sense.) What makes them interesting? Why is this protagonist someone I might enjoy reading about?

The second step is a little harder. Ask yourself, what does this person want? To be chosen for their high school basketball team? To get accepted into a university across the country? To find a less stressful job?

The third step is the most difficult, and the most important. Ask yourself what they need . Do they want to join the basketball team because they need the approval of their parents? Do they want to move across the country because they need a fresh start in a new place? Do they want a new job because they need to feel that their contribution is valued?

Once you’re able to answer these questions you’ll already feel the bones of a narrative taking shape.

Types of characters you’ll find in every story

Since character is the primary building block of all good literature, you’ll want your character to be as engaging and true to real life as can be. Let’s take a quick look at some of the different character types you’ll encounter in your story world.

Protagonist

Your protagonist is the main character of your story. Often they’ll be the hero, but not always—antiheroes and complex morally grey leads make for interesting plots, too. This is the character through which your reader goes on a journey and learns the valuable lessons illustrated in your themes (more on theme down below).

Your antagonist is the person standing in the way of your protagonist’s goal. These two central characters have opposing desires, and it’s the conflict born out of that opposition that drives the events of the plot. Sometimes an antagonist will be a villain bent on world destruction, and sometimes it’ll be an average person who simply sees the world in a different way.

Supporting characters

Once you have those two essential leads, your story needs its supporting cast. This is where you get to have fun with other characters like friends, love interests, family dynamics, and a whole range of character archetypes that bring your story to life.

Foil characters

As a bonus, many stories may also feature foil characters. A foil character in literature refers to two characters who may or may not be at odds with each other, but are opposite in every way. This literary technique works effectively to highlight aspects of each character. Your foil characters may be the protagonist and the antagonist, or the protagonist and one of the supporting characters, or both.

Your setting is where , when , and to some degree how your story takes place. It’s also your character’s relationship with the world around them. A story setting might be as small as a cupboard under the stairs, or it might be as wide and vast as twenty thousand leagues of endless grey sea. A short story might have only one setting, the heart of where the story takes place; longer works such as novels will probably have several. You can use all five senses to develop your setting.

Setting often gets overlooked as a less important literary element than character, plot, or conflict, but in reality a setting can drive all of these things. So much of who we are is shaped by the social setting we grew up, the places we spend our time, the time period we grew up in, and major events of the time that impacted our cultural awareness. Your characters are no different.

Someone who has spent their life on a sprawling country estate bordering a dark and spooky wood will naturally grow into someone very different than someone living in the narrow back alleys of a noisy, gritty city—just as someone living in the Great Depression of the 1930s will grow to develop different habits and perspectives than someone living in the technological advancements of the late 1990s.

Layers of setting to explore in your writing

Setting isn’t just about place—it’s about building your story world from the ground up. Here are the three different layers of setting you’ll need to consider when crafting your tale.

Temporal settings

Temporal setting refers to the time in which your story is set. This means the period of history—whether that’s in contemporary times, at the turn of the century, or in a distant future—as well as the season of the year, time of day or night, and point in your protagonist’s life cycle.

Environmental settings

This is the wider world of your story—what fantasy and science-fiction writers call “worldbuilding.” It refers to the natural landscape your characters find themselves in as well as cultural, political, and socioeconomic values and the way your characters interact with those values.

Individual settings

This is the fine details of setting, and what we most often tend to think about when we consider setting in a story. These are the stages on which your story takes place: an elementary school, a police station, a city park, a pirate ship. Your story needs the support of temporal and environmental setting, but individual settings are what really bring the world to life.

3. Narrative

The way you’re telling your story to the reader is as essential as the story that’s being told. In literary terms, narrative is the perspective from which the events of the story are unfolding and the way that you, as the author, have chosen to communicate them.

Every single character brings a different perspective to the story. They may have prejudices, limitations, prior knowledge, or deep character flaws that colour the way they see the world around them.

Some stories stay with only one character throughout the entire journey; others may explore the thoughts and feelings of many. As an exercise, you may want to try writing a story from multiple perspectives to gain a better understanding of your story world. You’d be surprised how much you can learn about your characters that you never imagined.

Types of PoV used in fiction writing

Point of view, or PoV, is one of the most important choices a writer makes when beginning a new work of fiction. Here’s a quick overview of the different points of view you’ll find in all narratives.

First Person Subjective

First person narratives are written from the character’s point of view (or the PoV of multiple characters) as if they were speaking directly to the reader. You’ll use statements like “I saw a shadow move from the corner of my eye,” or, “and then he told me that it was over.” First person subjective PoV takes the reader into the mind of the character and shows us everything they’re thinking and feeling.

First Person Objective

First person objective is very similar because it’s also from the character’s perspective and uses “I” and “me” statements. The difference is that the objective PoV doesn’t show the character’s internal thoughts and feelings—only their actions. This gives the reader an outside perspective and makes them feel like they’re watching video footage of the story, deducing what’s happening under the surface from the events of the plot.

Second Person

Second person PoV has a lot in common with first person, but instead of being told from the main character’s perspective, it’s told from the reader’s—this allows the reader to become the person telling the story. You may remember this from “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. In second person narration, you’ll use statements like “you turn a corner and find yourself staring at a door you’ve never seen.” This is challenging to do well, but a fun creative exercise for any writer.

Third Person Limited Subjective

Third person points of view are the most classic in literature; they use “he,” “she,” or “they” to follow the characters’ journeys. In a limited subjective point of view, you’ll allow the reader to experience the thoughts and feelings of your protagonist—but no one else. This is a common narrative choice in mystery novels.

Third Person Objective

Third person objective is pretty similar to first person objective, but it uses the third person pronouns. The reader won’t experience anything the characters are thinking or feeling except through their actions and the choices that they make, leaving the true undercurrents of the story to the reader’s imagination.

Third Person Multiple Subjective

This perspective works like third person limited subjective, in that it takes the reader into the minds of the characters using the pronouns “he,” “she,” or “they.” The difference is that the reader gets to see into more than one character—but only one at any given moment. This might involve chapters that alternate between one character and another, or a story that shows two different timelines with protagonists for each one.

Third Person Omniscient

This perspective is very similar to third person multiple subjective, but it allows the reader to see into more than one character’s thoughts in the same moment. The third person omniscient creates a “mental dollhouse” effect in which the internal workings of everyone on stage is exposed to the reader.

In a literary text, the plot is the sequence of events that takes the protagonist on a journey —whether that’s a literal journey from one place to another, a journey in which they learn how something came to be, or a journey in which they learn something about themselves. Some stories may be all of these things.

How your protagonist reacts to the events around them and the choices that they make come from the things they want and the things they need—we looked at that a little bit in character, above. Most of these stories will fall into one of a few classic plot structures that have been shown to resonate with us on a deep, instinctual level. And every one of these plot structures will use several essential plot points.

Important plot points every story needs

There’s a number of different ways to approach the plot of your story, but you’ll find that most of them follow the same general sequence of events from the inciting incident, or the first key plot point, to the denouement. Let’s look at the different stages that a good story will pass through from beginning to end.

Inciting incident

The inciting incident is the event that changes the protagonist’s life and sends them on a different path than the one they were on before. This will be the first major plot point of every story, and is essential for grabbing the reader’s attention. A good example might be if a mysterious new stranger enters the protagonist’s life.

Rising action

During the first half of your story, your characters will encounter several challenges on their way to achieving their goal (the one set into motion by the inciting incident). These “mini battles” form the rising action of a story.

The climax is the great showdown between the protagonist and their adversary, the moment of greatest triumph and greatest loss. Everything your characters have learned through the rising action has led to this moment.

Falling action

After the final battle, your characters need to adjust to the new landscape of their world. During the falling action, you’ll show the reader how the effects of the rising action and the climax reverberate into the characters’ lives.

The denouement is the final scene of any story that wraps up all the lingering threads and answers any unaddressed questions. A well-written denouement will leave the reader feeling satisfied as they close the book.

5. Conflict

When looking at the events that make up your plot, all of the choices your character needs to make will be in response to the literary element we call “conflict.” This makes it one of the most essential literary elements in literature. This might be a conflict with another person, a conflict inside themselves, or a conflict with their environment. It might be all of these things. There’s a reason we close the book after “happily ever after”; once there’s no more conflict, the story has run its course and there’s nothing more to say.

In a story, your protagonist should always have something to fight for. After you’ve determined what they want and what they need most, ask yourself what’s standing in their way. What steps can they take to overcome this obstacle? And—this is a big one— what do they stand to lose if they fail?

How your protagonist reacts to these conflicts shows a lot about who they are as a person. As the story progresses and your character grows, the way they handle these conflicts will probably change—they’ll start taking an active role in moving the story along, rather than a passive one.

Types of conflict that drive your characters

Conflict is essential to a good story, but it can be so much more than simply pitting a hero against a villain. Let’s look at the different kinds of conflict that drive a story forward.

Character vs. Character

Above, we looked at how antagonists can be central characters in a good narrative. This type of conflict sets a person against another person, usually the classic bad guys of literature, and watches their opposing needs play out. These will usually be the main characters of the literary work.

Character vs. Self

Sometimes, a protagonist’s obstacle comes from within. This might be something like addiction, alcoholism, fear, or other forms of self-sabotage. This type of conflict shows the main character fighting and ultimately overcoming their central weakness.

Character vs. Society

This type of conflict sets an individual protagonist against the larger world. Stories that deal in difficult themes like racism, homophobia, misogyny, or class divides often focus on this conflict. (We’ll look a little more at theme down below.)

Character vs. Nature

A beloved mainstay of hollywood blockbusters, this type of conflict sets the protagonist against an impersonal force of the natural world—an animal, a natural disaster, or illness.

Theme as a literary element is something that makes both readers and writers a little cautious. After all, doesn’t worrying about developing and understanding a theme take some of the enjoyment out of stories? Well no, it shouldn’t, because themes are present in all works of art whether they were put there intentionally or not. Theme is simply the sum of what the creator was trying to communicate with their work.

Neil Gaiman approached the idea of theme very nicely by asking one simple question: “What’s it about?” What’s this story really about? Underneath all the explosions and secrets and tense kisses and whatever else makes your plot go forward, maybe it’s really a story about family. Or injustice. Or maybe it’s about being there for your best friend even when they screw up really, really bad.

Contrary to popular belief, your theme isn’t an extra layer you add to give depth and richness to the plot. Your theme is the story’s heart —the reason it exists.

Your central theme probably isn’t where the story comes from, at least not initially. Most likely it’s something you’ll discover along the way as the story’s central message becomes clearer through the actions of your characters. It might be an abstract idea, or a lesson you want to share with the world.

Then, once you find this idea taking shape in your mind, you can double back and add in literary devices, details, figurative language, motifs, and relationships that support this heart of the story. Voilà —now it looks like you knew what you were doing all along.

Examples of classic themes in literature

A story’s theme is the central axis of every literary work. Sometimes you’ll find you have multiple themes present in one story, each supporting and underlining the other. Here’s a list of common themes you’ll find across literature.

Central idea themes

Disillusionment

Opposing principle themes

Good vs. Evil

Individual vs. Society

Life vs. Death

Fate vs. Free Will

Tradition vs. Change

Pride vs. Humility

Justice vs. Depravity

Morality vs. Fear

A writer’s voice is something that no guidebook can give you; it’s simply what’s left after everything that’s not your voice has been worn away.

Think of it this way: the work of new writers is usually a spark of an idea (sometimes original, sometimes not) encrusted with everything they’ve ever read. They may be trying to emulate writers who have written things that they’ve resonated with, or they may have simply absorbed those things subconsciously and are now watching them leak out of their fingers as they write.

That’s not to say that writing literature in the style of other craftsmen before you is a negative thing; in fact, it’s how we learn to master the storytelling craft of our own. This is how we try things and find them delightful, or we try things and find that, for some reason or another, they don’t quite settle into our bones the way we’d like them too. Those pieces get discarded, and we continue to grow.

Every time you write something, you’re essentially working in the dark to smooth down the rough gem that will become your storytelling voice. Little by little it takes shape, and one day you read over something you’ve written and are surprised by the thought, “Hey! That sounds like me .”

There’s no formula to this, unfortunately. A writer develops this core literary element simply by doing, by trying, by experimenting with word choice and by being aware of what works and what doesn’t and why.

Once you have this your stories become something that is intimately yours, and no one else’s, even as you grow and share those stories with the world.

Tips for developing your writer’s voice

A writer’s voice can only be found by practicing your own writing and looking inwards, but here’s a few tips to keep in mind that will help you uncover and refine your signature voice.

Read everything

The best way to find your unique voice as a writer is by reading the work of others who have gone before you. This will help you immerse in different styles, sentence structures, and literary devices to find which ones feel like a natural fit.

Try on other writers

As an exercise, try emulating the style of different writers. By experimenting with the different narrative structures in literary works that you’ve read, you’ll be able to refine the parts that feel like you and discard the ones that don’t.

Experiment with structure

Another great exercise is experimenting with specific story archetypes and writing prompts. By imposing restraints on a piece of narrative work, you’ll be able to see how your own natural writer’s voice breaks through.

How to use literary elements to write a great story

There are as many ways to begin a story as there are storytellers. We’ve reviewed the seven literary elements that are the basic building blocks of all good stories:

We’ve looked at how characters are the lifeblood of every story; how our characters are shaped by their world, or setting; how characters reveal themselves through the events of the plot; how plot is powered by a series made of choices in response to conflict; how the underlying theme of your story is at the heart of every choice your character makes; and how their unique perspective and your unique perspective come together to tell the story in a way that only you can.

The truth is, every single one of these literary elements is an essential piece of a perfect, interwoven whole.

To create a powerful story , review each of these seven literary elements and consciously pay attention to each one as you explore your own writing. The most memorable stories are the ones where the writer has carefully used these seven elements in depth to build a solid storytelling foundation.

When you sit down to write, the idea for a new story can come from any one of these literary elements. It might be a cool new character you want to explore further, a period in time that you’re fascinated by, an event you overhear while sitting at a café, or an underrepresented theme that you want to build a story around so that you can share it with the world.

Once you catch a little glimmer of what your story has the potential to become, the next step is to ask yourself some of the questions we discussed here to see how all of these literary elements will fit together. You can also consider incorporating a simple literary device, or several, to watch the work come to life.

Then you begin. Write things. Reconsider. Begin again. Never throw anything away. Allow yourself the freedom to learn as you go. Trust that there’s something that the world needs to hear locked somewhere inside of you, and you’re uncovering it one layer at a time. Sometimes you’ll feel like your creative spirit is on fire. Sometimes you’ll feel like it’s sitting in a pile of ashes. Both are valid. Have a teapot nearby.

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7 Elements of Fiction

The formal elements of fiction.

Active reading involves reading a text and analyzing its features to determine its potential meanings. A common approach to analyzing short fiction is to focus on five basic elements:  plot  ,  character  ,  setting  , conflict  , and  theme  .

The  plot  of a work of fiction is the series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict. A  character  is a person, or perhaps an animal, who participates in the action of the story. The  setting of a piece of fiction is the time and place in which the events happen, including the landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons, or weather. The  conflict  is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The main character is usually on one side of the central conflict. The  theme  is the central idea or issue conveyed by the story. These five basic elements combine to form what might be called the overall narrative  of story. In the next section, we will discuss the narrative arc of fiction in more detail.

Below are the formal elements of fiction and questions that will help you to read texts actively.

Questions for Active Reading:

• How does the text present the passing of time?
• Does it present time in a chronological way?
• Or does it present the event in a non-chronological way?
• What verb tenses are used? (i.e. past, present, future)
• How are the characters described?
• Do the characters talk in unique or peculiar ways?
• Are the names of the characters important or meaningful?
• What kind of conflicts emerge between the characters?
• When and where does the story seem to take place?
• Is there anything important or meaningful in regards to the time of day or time of year the story seems to take place?
• Is there any significance to the atmospheric, environmental, or weather events that take place?
• What problem or issue serves as the story’s focus?
• Is the conflict an explicit one between the story’s characters?
• Or is there a larger question or concern that is implied through the story’s narration?
• What is the relationship between the title of the story and the text?
• What main issue or idea does the story address?  (1)

Narrative Arc

The narrative arc — or dramatic structure — of a story may be divided into several phases of development. One traditional method of the analysis of fiction involves identifying five major stages of the development of the plot. The five major stages are known as the  exposition  (or introduction),  the rising action  (sometimes referred to as complicating action),  the climax  (or turning point),  the falling action  , and  the denouement  (or resolution).

The  exposition  of a story introduces characters’ backstory and key information about the setting. With this foundation laid, the dramatic tension then builds, thus creating the  rising action  of the story through a series of related events that complicate and exacerbate the major conflicts of the story. The turning point of the story occurs at the  climax  that typically changes the main character’s fate or reveals how the conflict will move toward resolution, either favorably or perhaps tragically. The  falling action  works to unravel the tension at the core of the major conflict or conflicts in the story and between the characters, although it may include one last twist that impacts the resolution of events.  Denouement  is derived from the Old French word  desnouer  (“to untie”); the term suggests that the knot of conflict generating the tension in the story at last is loosened. Of course, not every aspect of the conflict may be resolved or may be resolved to the satisfaction of the reader. Indeed, in some stories, the author may intend that the reader should be left to weigh the validity or even the morality of further outcomes.

While these five stages of dramatic structure are very helpful in analyzing fiction, they can be applied too strictly making a story seem like one linear series of events in straight chronological order. Some of the most engaging and well-crafted works of fiction break or interrupt the linear structure of events, perhaps through the manipulation of time (as in the use of  flashback  or  flash forward  ) or through the inclusion of an extended  interior monologue  (a digression into the interior thoughts, memories, and/or feelings of a particular character). Therefore, readers should be careful not to simplify the plot of a story into an ordered, numerical list of events.

The terms  protagonist  (main character, or hero/heroine) and  antagonist  (anti-hero/ine) can be helpful in highlighting the roles of the major characters in a story. The story also may unfold through a particular point-of-view  , or even through alternating points-of-view. The two most utilized narrative perspectives to consider are  first-person point-of-view  where the protagonist narrates the story from the voice of “I,” and  third-person point-of-view  , or  omniscient  point-of-view, where the narrative refers to each character as “he,” “she,” or “it” thus offering a more distanced perspective on events.

Readers may be persuaded, or not, of a narrative’s  credibility  through point-of-view(s) and/or the presentation of the  persona  of the narrator (if there is one). A persona is the role that one assumes or displays in public; in literature, it is the presented face or speaking voice of a character. Credibility is the quality of being believed, convincing, or trustworthy. When the credibility of a text is called into question, perhaps as a result of conflicting accounts of events, or detected bias in a point-of-view, the text is said to have an  unreliable narrator  . Sometimes authors choose to intentionally create an unreliable narrator either to raise suspense, obscure their own position on a subject, or as a means of critiquing a particular cultural or social perspective.

Additionally, to analyze a short story more closely, as in poetry, students may also pay attention to the use of  figurative language  . Figurative language, such as the use of  imagery  and  symbol  can be especially significant in fiction. What brings value to one’s analysis is the critical thought that prioritizes which of these many formal elements is most significant to communicating the meaning of the story and connects how these formal elements work together to form the unique whole of a given fictional work.  (1)

Literature for the Humanities Copyright © by Lumen Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Review literary elements in fiction, lesson plan.

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• Grade Levels

Describe and compare the differing characteristics that distinguish the fiction and non-fiction forms of narrative, poetry, drama, and essay and determine how the form relates to meaning.

Evaluate the impact of diverse cultures and writers on the development and growth of literature.

Examine literature as it reflects traditional and contemporary themes, motifs , universal characters, and genres.

Describe how an author conveys intent and perspective in contemporary and historical writings.

Analyze the way in which a work of literature is related to the themes and issues of its historical period. meaning.

Interpret and analyze works in various genres of literary and/or cultural significance in American and world history that:

•  Reflect a variety of genres in the respective major periods of literature.
•  Represent important authors in each historical period.
•  Reveal contrasts in major themes, styles, and trends in the respective historical periods.
•  Examine the important philosophical, religious, social, political, or ethical ideas of the time.

Analyze the effectiveness of literary elements used by authors in various genres.

• Analyze how authors develop complex characters as well as their roles and functions in a variety of texts.
• Determine the effectiveness of setting as related to character, plot, and other key l iterary elements.
• Determine the effectiveness of the author’s use of point of view as related to content and specific types of genre.
• Analyze how the author structures plot to advance the action.
• Identify major themes in literature, comparing and contrasting how they are developed across genres.
• Explain how voice and choice of speaker (narrator) affect the mood, tone, and meaning of text.
• Describe how an author, through the use of diction, syntax, figurative language, sentence variety, etc., achieves style.

Interpret and analyze the author’s skill in employing literary devices in various genres.

• Identify, explain, and analyze the effect of literary devices (e.g., figurative language, imagery, allegory, and symbolism ).
• Identify, explain and analyze the effects of sound, form, and structure of poems.
• Identify and analyze how dramatic conventions (e.g., stage directions, monologue, dialogue, soliloquy, dialect, chorus) support, interpret, and enhance dramatic script.

Reading for meaning—Fiction

Analyzing and interpreting literature—Fiction

Identify and/or explain stated or implied main ideas and relevant supporting details from a text.

Note: Items may target specific paragraphs.

Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate character in a variety of fiction:

Note: Character may also be called narrator or speaker.

• the actions, motives, dialogue, emotions/feelings, traits, and relationships among characters within fictional text
• the relationship between characters and other components of a text
• the development by authors of complex characters and their roles and functions within a text

Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate setting in a variety of fiction:

• the relationship between setting and other components of the text (character, plot, and other key literary elements)

Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate plot in a variety of fiction:

Note: Plot may also be called action.

• elements of the plot (e.g. exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and/or resolution)
• the relationship between elements of the plot and other components of the text
• how the author structures plot to advance the action

Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate theme in a variety of fiction:

• the relationship between the theme and other components of the text
• comparing and contrasting how major themes are developed across genres
• the reflection of traditional and contemporary issues, themes, motifs, universal characters, and genres
• the way in which a work of literature is related to the themes and issues of its historical period

Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate voice, tone, style, and mood in a variety of fiction:

• the relationship between the tone, style, and/or mood and other components of the text
• how voice and choice of speaker (narrator) affect the mood, tone, and/or meaning of the text
• how diction, syntax, figurative language, sentence variety, etc., determine the author’s style

Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate point of view in a variety of fiction:

• the point of view of the narrator as first person or third person point of view
• the impact of point of view on the meaning of the text as a whole
• Comprehension requires and enhances critical thinking and is constructed through the intentional interaction between reader and text
• Essential content, literary elements and devices inform meaning
• Analyze and evaluate author’s/authors’ use of literary elements within and among genres

Students will review and analyze a short story and identify the elements of fiction. Students will: [IS.16 - Language Function]

• identify, review, and analyze elements of fiction: setting, character, point of view, plot, and theme.
• make predictions and inferences and draw conclusions based on a text. [IS.17 - Level 1]

Essential Questions

• How does interaction with text provoke thinking and response?

[IS.1 - Preparation ]

[IS.2 - ELP Standards]

[IS.3 - ELL Students]

• Characterization: The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities. [IS.4 - All Students]
• Climax: The turning point in a narrative, the moment when the conflict is at its most intense. Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in which tension builds to the climax. [IS.5 - Struggling Learners]
• Inference: A judgment based on reasoning rather than on direct or explicit statement. A conclusion based on facts or circumstances; understandings gained by “reading between the lines.” [IS.6 - All Students]
• Plot: The structure of a story.  [IS.7 - All Students] The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story. The structure often includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.  [IS.8 - Struggling Learners] The plot may have a protagonist who is opposed by an antagonist,  [IS.9 - All Students] creating what is called conflict. [IS.10 - All Students]
• Point of view: The way in which an author reveals characters, events, and ideas in telling a story; the vantage point from which the story is told. [IS.11 - Struggling Learners]
• Resolution: The portion of a story following the climax, in which the conflict is resolved. The resolution of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is neatly summed up in the following sentence: “Henry and Catherine were married, the bells rang and everybody smiled.” [IS.12 - All Students]
• Setting: The time and place in which a story unfolds. [IS.13 - All Students]
• Theme: A topic of discussion or writing; a major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work. [IS.14 - All Students]
• Tone: The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (e.g., serious or humorous). [IS.15 - All Students]

60–120 minutes/1–2 class periods [IS.18 - Struggling Learners]

Prerequisite Skills

[IS.19 - ELL Students]

• “To Build a Fire” from To Build a Fire and Other Favorite Stories by Jack London. Dover Publications, 2008.
• An alternative, high-interest, science fiction short story is “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury, which has a clear linear plot, setting, third-person point of view, single protagonist, and provocative theme. A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. Harper Perennial, 2005. Also: http://www.scaryforkids.com/a-sound-of-thunder/
• More challenging short stories include “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane, which has a group of characters as the protagonists and an objective point of view. “The Open Boat” from The Open Boat and Other Stories by Stephen Crane. General Books LLC, 2009. Also: http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/CraOpen.html
• Another challenging story is “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, which has a Southern setting, clear plot, and subtle, intertwining themes of race, old age, and compassion. A Worn Path by Eudora Welty. Harcourt Brace, 1998. [IS.20 - ELL Students]
• student copies of Elements of Fiction ( L-L-5_Elements of Fiction_student.doc )
• Elements of Fiction chart, teacher copy ( L-L-5_Elements of Fiction_teacher.doc )

Related Unit and Lesson Plans

• Literary Elements—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Write a Personal Essay
• Analyze a Personal Essay by a Noted Author

Related Materials & Resources

The possible inclusion of commercial websites below is not an implied endorsement of their products, which are not free, and are not required for this lesson plan.

Formative Assessment

• Assess students’ knowledge of the elements of fiction. For a quick assessment, choose another well-known children’s story. Have each student identify the setting, character(s), plot, point of view, and theme.
• Provide feedback and additional practice, if required.

Suggested Instructional Supports

For struggling learners, consider using some of the following:

Three Little Pigs

Little Red Riding Hood

For deeper understanding of these concepts for all learners, consider selecting one of the texts in the “materials” section, and engaging students in discussion using a Socratic Seminar.

For info on the Socratic Seminar, see:

For information on the Socratic Seminar, see:

http://www.pattan.net/Videos/Browse/Single/?code_name=socratic_seminar

and: www.paideia.org

Instructional Procedures

Focus Question: How do the elements of fiction provoke thinking and response?

Say, “We will review some elements of fiction to see how they are used in all types of fiction, from children’s stories to classic works. Think of a children’s story that just about everyone knows.”  [IS.21 - Struggling Learners] Allow students to suggest a number of stories. Write the titles on the board/interactive whiteboard. Have students choose one story. “Let’s review the plot, so we can all agree on one version of this story.” [IS.22 - All Students]

Ask, “What happens first? What happens next?” As students suggest parts of the plot, write each main event in order on the board/interactive whiteboard. Make sure all the essential parts of the plot are identified: exposition, one or two turning points, climax (critical turning point), and resolution.

Say, “Based on our children’s story, let’s identify the elements that make this a story. What are the five elements, or parts, that this and every story has?” Write on the board/interactive whiteboard the elements setting, character, point of view, plot, and theme.

Distribute the Elements of Fiction chart ( L-L-5_Elements of Fiction_student.doc ). To model the activity,  [IS.23 - All Students] say, “Let’s start by finding details of each element of fiction in our children’s story. For example, the setting of a story usually has which two essential details? ( where and when the action happens ) In our children’s story, what are one or two details for the setting?” Give students a few minutes to suggest answers, and have them write the details for the setting on their charts. As they do so, write their answers on the board/interactive whiteboard.

Arrange students into small groups.  [IS.24 - All Students] Say, “Continue to find details or evidence for the remaining elements of fiction. Write this evidence in the second column of your chart.”

When students have finished, say, “I’d like each group to name one detail to complete the chart.” As students provide details, add them to the chart you are modeling. Allow students to make changes or additions to their individual charts.

Assign a high-interest short story, such as “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. After students have read the first two pages, help them identify the setting ( the Yukon territory of Alaska on an extremely cold winter day ) and the two characters ( the man and the dog ).

After students have read the story, distribute copies of the Elements of Fiction chart. Say, “Discuss and identify the five elements of fiction in ‘To Build a Fire.’ Then find evidence from the story for each element and write that in the second column of the chart.”

Ask each group to name one detail from the story to complete the chart. Start with the plot. Reviewing the plot is essential, and everyone should agree on what happened. Students will need to understand the plot to identify the themes in the story. Record students’ answers on the interactive whiteboard or on a similar chart drawn on the board. [IS.25 - Struggling Learners]

While the class suggests details to complete the chart, allow students to make changes on their individual charts. Review the following terms from the chart:

• Setting : Yukon, Alaska; extremely cold winter morning
• Point of View : third-person omniscient
• Characters : a man who is a newcomer to the Alaska territory and a native husky
• Plot : The man sets out on an extremely cold day. He finally decides he must stop and make camp. He builds a fire and then continues on his way. He falls through the ice and realizes he must make another fire. The second fire goes out. The man becomes desperate to build a fire, but freezes. The dog leaves the man and goes on to the mining camp.
• Theme : power of nature, nature’s indifference

Note: An extensive list of supporting details is included on the teacher’s Elements of Fiction chart ( L-L-5_Elements of Fiction_teacher.doc ).

After students have identified the plot, setting, characters, and point of view, ask, “What are some of the themes in this story?” Discuss theme to prepare students to explore the purpose of a personal essay, which will be covered later in this unit. Some themes are listed on the teacher’s Elements of Fiction chart.

Extension: [IS.26 - All Students]

• Ask students to find additional themes from the story and two or more details from the story that support each theme.
• Have students analyze how one element of a story affects another element. For example, have students answer one of the following questions about “To Build a Fire”:
• Would this story have ended differently if the temperature was 25 degrees warmer?
• How does the man being new to the territory affect the outcome?
• What does the narrator mean by saying the ‘man lacked imagination’?
• Do you think the author had any experience living in this environment? What details support your opinion?

Ask students to write a paragraph explaining a major theme of “To Build a Fire,” using at least two details from the story as specific support.

Related Instructional Videos

ENGL 236 Introduction to Literature LibGuide: The Elements of Fiction

• Character Perspectives on Other Characters
• Character Development Between Florens’ Mother and Widow Ealing
• Understanding Plot
• Linear vs Nonlinear Plot
• Resources and More Information on Plot
• Plot: Chapters 1, 2, and 3
• Connecting Plot and Female Characters: Chapters 4, 5, and 6
• Connection to Each Chapter’s Events: Chapters 7, 8, and 9
• Historical Construct and Social Context
• Understanding Point of View
• First-Person Narrative
• Narrative Focalization

What is Style?

Style basics, style of a mercy.

• Morrison and Religion
• Natural Symbolism and Imagery
• Physical Symbols in A Mercy
• Sayeeda Jordan
• Marvin Romero
• Religious Symbols

What is Style?:

The style in writing can be defined as the way a writer writes. It is the technique that an individual author uses in their writing. It varies from author to author, and depends upon one’s syntax, word choice, and tone. It can also be described as a “voice” that readers listen to when they read the work of a writer.

References:

“A Mercy Literary Elements.”  GradeSaver , h ttps://www.gradesaver.com/a- mercy/studyguide/literary-elements.

Shmoop Editorial Team. “Toni Morrison.”  Shmoop , Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008 ,        

https://www.shmoop.com/toni-morrison/ .

“Toni Morrison ,” http://www.umich.edu/~eng217/student_projects/nobel prize

winners/morrison.htm.

Elements of Style

o    -Diction

o    -Sentence Structure and Length

o    -Irony

o    -Figurative Language

o    -Ambiguity

Influencers of Style

o    -Author’s background

o    -Upbringing

o    -Gender

o    -Race

Style of A Mercy :

Elements Toni Morrison Uses:

Figurative Language

o    Simile: “The sons were as silent as tombs. D’Ortega’s wife was a chattering magpie, asking pointless questions…” (Morrison 17)

o    Allusion: ““Her own death was what she should be concentrating on. She could hear its hooves clacking on the roof, could see the cloaked figure on horseback.” (Morrison 79)

o    Metaphor: “With the letter I belong and am lawful. Without it I am a weak calf abandon by the herd, a turtle without a shell...” (Morrison 115)

How does Toni Morrison use this? Morrison begins the novel in media res (in the middle of things) with a narrator whose name you do not know yet, and this is how the first few chapters go. Also, the chapters switch from one voice to another, sometimes making it difficult to follow while challenging the reader to connect the dots.

Morrison also changes the dialect of the character, to display who is talking, this can also display education level and origin.

Every author has their own style. Toni Morrison is particularly known for writing books for and about African-Americans. This can be attributed to the outside influencers of style. Toni Morrison, being a black woman, she writes things she has seen, experienced, and the overall black experience.

“Toni Morrison is an important novelist who continues to develop her talent. Part of her appeal, of course, lies in her extraordinary ability to create beautiful language and striking characters. However, Morrison's most important gift, the one which gives her a major author's universality, is the insight with which she writes of problems all humans face.... At the core of all her novels is a penetrating view of the unyielding, heartbreaking dilemmas which torment people of all races" -- Elizabeth B. House ( Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook ).

“(Morrison) works her magic charm above all with a love of language. Her ... style carries you like a river, sweeping doubt and disbelief away, and it is only gradually that one realizes her deadly serious intent" -- Susan Lydon ( Village Voice ).

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Prose Fiction: An Introduction to the Semiotics of Narrative

(6 reviews)

Ignasi Ribó

Copyright Year: 2020

Publisher: Open Book Publishers

Language: English

Formats Available

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Reviewed by William Pendergast, Adjunct Professor/Coordinator, Bunker Hill Community College on 1/31/21

The book is a through account of the structure of narrative stories. It outlines all the elements that make a narrative successful in a critical writing sense. It defines the subject and breaks down the classic sense of drama throughout the ages... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book is a through account of the structure of narrative stories. It outlines all the elements that make a narrative successful in a critical writing sense. It defines the subject and breaks down the classic sense of drama throughout the ages of writing. It shows the narrative in a historical context and outlines the techincal construction process. It does an excellent job looking at the science of the writing process as it pertains to the narrative. It looks at beginnings, endings, genre's, literary devices and dialogue just to name a few. The difference between Prose vs. verse, Narrative vs. drama ;Novel, novella, or short story ;Adventure, fantasy, romance, humor, science-fiction, crime, etc.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I found the books principles to be quite sound and presented in a very palatable manner. It starts with a useful definition of terms then goes into great depths to explain them. "For the purpose of this book, we will define narrative as the semiotic representation of a sequence of events, meaningfully connected by time and cause." This type of definition is a very dry and advanced level of learning as is much of the text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

This text would be ideal for MFA creative writing program. Its explanation of the narrative is done in a way that would be more helpful to students who are becoming writers as opposed to readers. It is somewhat pedantic and really designed for an advanced student with excellent critical thinking skills. This text is not for a community college level student or even to be used with a college writing course in a typical university. This is a much more advanced text looking at the mechanics of the narrative as opposed to being a collection of stories.

Clarity rating: 4

I found the text to be very clear about the manner in which it presents its material. I feel that some students would have a difficult time with some of the concepts because they would be so unfamiliar with many of the terms used. I enjoyed all the graphs and flow charts showing dramatic arcs and structure. I also enjoyed the pictures that illustrations at marked the different moments in the history of the narrative.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is absolutely consistent in the manner in which it builds the formulation of the narrative. It starts defining it, then explaining the structure, and giving different examples of narratives in various genres. Then looking at significant works throughout history then looking at all the other literary devices that make a great piece of writing to a particular genre.

Modularity rating: 3

The text works in a commutative way. You could break up some of the later chapters if you were doing a workshop on things like dialogue, symbolism, foreshadowing and building characters.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

As a text for a student studying creative writing this is organized in a wonderful manner. It builds from a technical foundation about structure and drama then looks at more of the difference between the craft of writing and the art of it. It starts with Intro which is the definition and explanation of the narrative then plot, setting, characterization, and Language, et.

Interface rating: 5

I didn't find any interface issues. I thought the text reads nicely with the right amount of graphs and charts and pictures, that I thought enhanced the lessons in the text. Many of them were graphs I will use in class today to help students understand the dramatic arc in stories. The pictures showing historical moments help give context and break up the text from reading very dry.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

I didn't notice very many errors. Some American students might be put off by the use of British English in a lot of the spelling in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text has reference to many of the classics that will be unfamiliar to community college students and no current references really. Students who have studied writing will be familiar with the greek tragedies to the more "modern" classic examples in the text.

This is a fantastic text for a Creative Writing Student or an advanced student that is interested in becoming a writer. For the community college level student or comp student only certain chapters would be helpful to students. This is a text that an instructor could purchase and reframe the material and present to a class that isn't as advanced. I would absolutely buy this text and incorporate it into various levels of my instruction. I would take lessons and repurpose them for my developmental class and present the material as is for my creative writing students.

Reviewed by Luke Brown, Lecturer, Howard University on 1/21/21

The text approaches the question and possibilities of narrative from seven entry points (e.g., setting, language), including a general overview of major threshold concepts, terms, and approaches to narrative in the first chapter. read more

The text approaches the question and possibilities of narrative from seven entry points (e.g., setting, language), including a general overview of major threshold concepts, terms, and approaches to narrative in the first chapter.

I noticed no major issues with the quality of analysis.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The insights of the text will likely remain viable as long as we continue to have narratives; however, it does tend towards older, Euro-centric examples (e.g., Decameron, Oedipus Rex) and would benefit from more contemporary, multicultural exemplars.

Clarity rating: 3

The text does tend towards theoretical argot in its elaborations of core ideas (e.g., real vs. implied vs. ideal reader). While still legible, students may have difficulty following the nuances of the argument without corresponding classroom discussions of the material.

Consistency rating: 4

The text offers a wide range of possible theoretical entry points and frameworks. While none are mutually exclusive, there are more than a single course could likely apply.

Modularity rating: 5

The text approaches the question and possibilities of narrative from seven entry points (e.g., setting, language), including a general overview of major threshold concepts, terms, and approaches to narrative in the first chapter. The thoughtful arrangement of the chapters and subchapters allow instructors to select small excerpts for class instruction which can be taken out of context without an overall loss in meaning.

The overall organization of the text is a clear strength. It both builds on itself over the course of its seven major divisions and each of these divisions could be engaged with independently of the others.

I had no interface issues with this text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I noticed no major grammatical oversights.

This text could be improved by moving away from centuries-old, Eurocentric examples and incorporating a wider range of classical and contemporary texts by writers of color and other marginalized groups.

I would recommend this book as a useful supplement to introductory courses focused on creative writing or literary analysis.

Reviewed by Kathryn Evans, Professor, Bridgewater State University on 6/30/20

The book is comprehensive in that it is broad, covering the bases of narrative; however, chapters tend to be brief (students will likely appreciate this, although we might wish for more examples in the form of actual quotations). The glossary... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book is comprehensive in that it is broad, covering the bases of narrative; however, chapters tend to be brief (students will likely appreciate this, although we might wish for more examples in the form of actual quotations). The glossary definitions are underdeveloped and do not necessarily illuminate the purposes of literary techniques discussed.

Content Accuracy rating: 2

Much of the book is accurate, although there are glaring omissions (e.g., Janet Burroway's co-authors are not listed, nor is the edition of the book noted; direct and indirect characterization are inaccurately described, as mentioned by other reviewers; the concept of genre is oversimplified; and interior monologue is not synonymous with stream of consciousness).

Many students will appreciate the references to Harry Potter throughout (a nice complement to the more historical and canonical works used to illustrate concepts and terms).

I found the book to be clearly written in general; sentences tend to be short, which many students may appreciate.

More examples in the form of quotations are used in later chapters compared to earlier chapters; it would be good to make this consistent throughout.

Most chapters, in my opinion, could be assigned out of sequence.

The book is well organized into chapters and clearly indicated sections.

The interface is impressively smooth; I found it easy to navigate. In addition, the author used a variety of images that were clear and useful (and clearly labelled).

The editing for grammar was excellent.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The examples used in the book do not represent a broad diversity of cultures / genders, but the author acknowledges that this lack of representation can be seen as an artifact of historical marginalization.

I would personally consider assigning some chapters; the author has clearly put significant time and thought into developing this book, and it is an impressive accomplishment. (On a more minor note, I would recommend that the author omit the section of the book that quotes Wikipedia, as that source is not generally regarded as being credible.)

Reviewed by Adam Mooney, Associate Lecturer, University of Massachusetts Boston on 6/30/20

The text offers tools for students to read and engage in critical discussion through a comprehensive discussion of narrative theory and narrative elements, including plot, characterization, language, theme, setting, and narration. The introduction... read more

The text offers tools for students to read and engage in critical discussion through a comprehensive discussion of narrative theory and narrative elements, including plot, characterization, language, theme, setting, and narration. The introduction serves as a succinct but expansive introduction to narrative theory, and the text is appropriate in terms of its scope. The text is admirable for its attention to concepts that get overlooked in narrative theory textbooks, including language and theme, and for its accessible and introductory-level approach, which is particularly suitable for early-level college students who may be unfamiliar with rhetorical concepts and terms for literary analysis. The text concludes with a comprehensive and effective glossary that is easy to use. Although the text lacks an index, which could have been helpful, the glossary alone was helpful as a reference tool.

The text relies well on seminal thinkers within narratology and narrative theory, and it provides accurate and objective terms for literary analysis. The text contains no notable errors.

In general, the text is relevant and up-to-date. It makes good use and offers a nice blend of seminal texts in narratology and literary theory (like Barthes and Abbott) and more recent publications on narratology and prose fiction. The text also uses 21st-century references to film and television (like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones), making it relevant and appropriate for young readers but risking potentially quick obsoletion. Indeed, the text relies almost exhaustively on Harry Potter as its "contemporary" example, despite that Harry Potter at this point is no longer relevant for many young students.

Clarity rating: 5

The text has a complex framework but approaches that framework with clarity and accessibility in mind as its primary goals. It explains complicated concepts in a clear and accessible manner. The text is especially successful in its essentialization—without risking the loss of integrity / depth of knowledge—of concepts like semiotic models of narratives. Indeed, one key benefit of the text, as an introduction for early-level college students, is its (self-admitted) avoidance of "overtly technical debates" within literary theory. Instead, the text prefers to streamline different key elements of narratological theory into a clear and simple framework.

The text aims to offer a "bare-bones presentation of narrative theory," and it is consistently successful in its goal to provide an easy-to-follow introduction for students without burdening them with excessive historical or theoretical details.

Modularity rating: 4

The text is designed to supplement a course but not dictate a course. It allows teachers the freedom to choose texts that they feel best reflect each chapter's main topic. Though the lack of examples for direct instruction can be seen as one drawback, the chapters are perfect for breaking into smaller sections in a course. The short length of chapters could also make for productive collaborative reading among students, where groups of students are assigned chapters and co-compose summaries or co-teach lessons based on the chapters.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The text is well-devised in its scope and structure. After a comprehensive introduction, the text moves to think about six different elements of narrative theory: plot, setting, characterization, narration, language, and theme. The first four or five chapters are meant to be the most accessible, and the final two are meant to respond to a gap in textbooks on narrative, which tend not to cover language and theme. Overall, the organization of the text is clear and helpful, and the development of chapters is logical. Within chapters, though, the progression between section--and especially the relationship between sections--is sometimes underexplained. In the introduction, for instance, the sections progress logically from “What Is Narrative?” to “Genres,” but the text fails to explain why the sections progress in this way, leaving the section on “Genres” to be under-contextualized for student readers.

Interface rating: 4

In terms of quality and clarity, the interface of this text is solid. Ribó’s own diagrams and charts are excellent—they are very helpful in explaining intricate and complex concepts, like the semiotic model of narrative. The external images used in the text are clear and attractive on the page, though the use of images and figures is somewhat disconnected from the text itself in that the images only offer superfluous perspectives that go unaddressed and underexplained in the prose. The least effective diagrams are the word clouds that begin each chapter. While these offer a succinct visualization of key terms, it is unclear where the word clouds come from, so words end up being more confusing than helpful, and they tend to capture unnecessary terms. For instance, the word "Fig" (presumably referring to "Figure") appears in the word cloud that accompanies the introduction. Elsewhere, there seems to be a mismatch between the word cloud and the chapter it accompanies. For instance, prior to Chapter 7, on theme, the word “narrative” appears at the center of the word cloud.

There are no glaring grammatical issues in the text. There may be minor grammatical errors, specifically in the use of commas, but my attention to this issue may be highlighted by my closer familiarity with grammar in U.S.-American English.

According to Ribó, this text is designed specifically for Asian students who don't have high familiarity with Western literature and literary theories in their high school education. In this sense, Ribó acknowledges in the preface the book's European focus and influence. He writes, "I have tried my best to expand the cultural range of examples in order to reflect the rich diversity of world literature. However, I am not entirely sure if I have succeeded in this effort, and most likely my explanations and examples are too heavily determined by the European tradition, which is, after all, my own." While this blind spot is acknowledged in the text, it is glaring when the text relies so heavily on a white Western canon, and it verges on cultural insensitivity in its reference to ethnicity as a “theme” in modern narrative, especially when it is only given one or two paragraphs’ worth of attention. Moreover, the text’s only substantial discussion of gender, sexuality, and ethnicity in literary theory is reduced to a few paragraphs at the end of the final chapter. Indeed, the text accounts mostly for a normative perspective; its list of "Examples of Short Stories and Novels" contains almost exclusively works by Western, and usually white, authors. Despite this book's many benefits, its lack of cultural, ethnic, racial, gender, and sexuality diversity is a glaring issue.

The text’s dedication to being a “bare-bones presentation of narrative theory”—that is, to not imposing on instructors’ choice of accompanying texts—at times makes for missed opportunities in terms of giving students accessible examples. For example, in Chapter 2, Ribó describes seven kinds of plots found often in novels and short stories. While Ribó offers specific examples—for instance, Hansel and Gretel as an example of the “overcoming the monster” plot—he misses a good opportunity to offer a modern example of the plot type as well, which would enable students to see narrative plot in older, traditional texts as aligned with plot devices that they may be more interested in or familiar with. Nonetheless, Prose Fiction is noteworthy and successful for its brief, accessible overview of important elements of narrative theory. I can very, very easily imagine this being adapted in literature classrooms smoothly and productively.

Reviewed by Thea Prieto, Adjunct Professor, Portland Community College on 6/24/20

Ribó sets out to create “a conceptual skeleton” of fiction writing, one that allows teachers to decide what readings to use in their classrooms. For a creative writing class, this means the textbook discusses various theories and craft elements of... read more

Ribó sets out to create “a conceptual skeleton” of fiction writing, one that allows teachers to decide what readings to use in their classrooms. For a creative writing class, this means the textbook discusses various theories and craft elements of fiction, as well as provides brief overviews of literary history. The textbook purposefully leaves out specific text samples, while at the same time referencing canonized or mainstream texts, so this textbook would work best as a teaching supplement. I believe introductory students would engage with the chapters regarding plot, setting, and characterization, and intermediate students would engage with the chapters regarding narration, language, and theme, as well as the glossary. Some of the terminology, concepts, and theories may be better discussed in advanced courses.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

The text is informed by an impressive number of craft anthologies and essays, though a majority of the works are by white, male writers (which Ribó acknowledges in the preface). Also, the definitions of story and discourse (Chapter 1), and the definitions of direct and indirect characterization (Chapter 4) differ from my understanding of the craft elements. This may be confusing to students, and students should be made aware of alternate definitions and/or applications.

Ribó references many canonized books, essays, and works of fiction, as well as a number of modern texts. The Harry Potter references will be hard to update, since they permeate the textbook, but the other modern references could be easily swapped out for more timely references, as well as with works by more diverse writers.

Most of the more complex concepts or terms were clearly defined in the text or in the glossary. However, there was some niche language that might ostracize beginning writers.

Consistency rating: 3

Ribó shares in the preface that he purposefully left out specific text samples and readings so the book would be a framework for teachers. The author is consistent in this way, though there are plenty of text references that still contextualize the framework.

Each chapter is broken into sections, and each section is short enough that they can be discussed in class. If the teacher is prepared to contextualize the textbook content, then the sections can be presented out of order.

Each chapter begins with theoretical knowledge, then shifts to practical applications or specific examples or topics, and concludes with a helpful summary and references page.

The eBook version was easy to navigate, and I appreciated the clickable table of contents. I would have liked specific terms to be linked to the glossary entries, and the exampled short stories/novels could be linked to their brief descriptions.

I did not notice any typos or errors.

In the preface, Ribó summarizes the dominance of white, male voices in the Western literary cannon, and he goes more in depth regarding postcolonialism and feminism in Chapter 7, particularly in terms of identity, ideology, morality, and art and politics. Early on he also explains that his examples are heavily determined by the European tradition, but considering the text’s overview of literary history and the importance of perspective in fiction writing, I would have liked to see more writers of color and writers from the LGBTQIA communities represented in the references.

The glossary of terms would be a useful Week 1 resource in my intermediate fiction courses.

Reviewed by Justina Salassi, Coordinator of General and Developmental Education/English Faculty, Central Louisiana Technical Community College on 4/29/20

The text covers its topic very well, giving relevant and easy to understand examples appropriate to second year students. As writing about literature is generally required in literature courses, it would have been helpful to provide some guidance... read more

The text covers its topic very well, giving relevant and easy to understand examples appropriate to second year students. As writing about literature is generally required in literature courses, it would have been helpful to provide some guidance on how students can apply the information provided in the text to writing topics, and how they are to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate literature through these lenses. Additionally, some of the terms and concepts (Classical poet, sign/signifier, etc.) I would not expect second year students to be familiar with were not immediately defined and are not included in the glossary.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The text is informed by seminal studies in narrative theory and related theories, as shown by the cited works. I found no inconsistencies in theory. However, the text presents direct and indirect characterization in the reverse of what is commonly taught. (In this book, indirect characterization is the explicit attribution of characteristics as told by the narrator and direct characterization is when characteristics are revealed through speech, thoughts, and actions of the character.) If this is a common misconception (of which I am not aware), the author should alert the reader of the misconception to fend off confusion between what is presented and what they might have been taught in the past.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The text uses both current and seminal sources and relevant, up to date examples.

In terms of clarity, the diction and style is accessible by students and most jargon is defined, with the exception of a few concepts and words that I feel could be more clearly defined in the text, or be included in the glossary (sign, signifier, alterity, etc.).

The framework is the theory of narratology, which is consistent throughout the text.

The text is divided logically into smaller sections, which are easily digestible. However, it would be difficult to present the chapters in a different order to students, as the chapters build on information found in previous chapters.

The organization is logical and presents concepts that build on each other. The end of chapter summaries are very useful. It would have been useful to indicate words that can be found in the glossary, or even provide links between the word and it's entry in the glossary since it is an ebook.

There were no interface issues that I noticed.

I noticed no grammatical issues. The text is very well written.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is very sensitive to cultural difference and is inclusive in its use of examples. The author provides an acknowledgment at the beginning of the predominance of Western Literature and the English language in literary tradition, but attempts to present it in a global context. The text includes the discussion of ideologies, oppression, and themes of identity and alterity.

This book would provide a good foundation for an introduction to fiction course.

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 4. Characterisation
• 5. Narration
• 6. Language

Ancillary Material

About the book, about the contributors.

Ignasi Ribó (Ph.D. in Modern European Literature and Thought, University of Sussex) is a Catalan writer and scholar. He has been teaching Literary Theory and Semiotics at university level for more than ten years and currently works as a Lecturer in the School of Liberal Arts at Mae Fah Luang University (Chiang Rai, Thailand). Ignasi is the author of several novels, as well as academic essays on literary theory, comparative literature, ecocriticism, biosemiotics, cultural ecology, and environmental philosophy.

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HUM2020: Introduction to the Humanities

sharing what is means to be human

This lesson  will examine the steps involved in the basic analysis of literature in order to identify the meanings and purpose embedded within the written word. Using fiction as the subject, we will explore how specific analytical techniques help us to isolate, identify, and draw conclusions about literary expressions of the human experience.

Lesson Objectives

• identify the elements of literary fiction
• recognize how to apply literary analysis to fiction in order to interpret meanings in literary symbols
• formulate a new idea about the meanings and representations in a short story
• create a fictional character using the Elements of Fiction

Literature is a vast body of written work within the the Humanities.  The written works are considered to have artistic and/or intellectual value because it relies on language in a way that diverges from common use – such as in the use of symbolism, allegory, metaphor, rhyme, pattern, fantasy and so on. Literature is a diverse body of work that is comprised of several genres , or categories sharing a similar trait, feature, content or technique, which includes; fiction, non-fiction, poetry, play-write, and has recently expanded to include digital formats and oral histories and storytelling. Literary forms are often categorized according to categorized according to the historical period from which it emerged (ie medieval), writing style or content, or use of particular aesthetic features.  This lesson will address fiction, explore the ways that fiction communicates shared meanings, and practice interpreting those meaning through literary analysis.

A fictional literary piece is a story derived moreso from creative imagination than history or fact. Literary fiction includes short stories (at least 2,000 words but under 7,500 words), novellas (a work of at least 17,500 words but under 50,000 words), or novels (50,000 words or more). Literary fiction is also sub-categorized according to content into genres which are differentiated by a particular unifying tone or style, content, narrative technique, or popular criterion.

Common genres include:

• science fiction
• theological
• graphic novel (comics)
• children’s

Elements of Fiction

The  elements of fiction  are basic components used to organize, compose and analyze a fictional story. Identifying the elements can help the reader investigate and understand different literary pieces. there are several different frameworks ranging from five to up to ten different elements, yet all stories have elements of character, setting, plot, theme, and point of view. Others may include style and tone. The more familiar a readers becomes with the different kinds of elements the better they will understand and critically analyze stories. Since fiction emerges from the creative imagination rather than real-world accounts or historical fact, the elements of fiction are subject to interpretation. Click here  to watch a corny, but catchy, music video about the five elements of fiction.

There are two types of setting: Physical and Chronological. The  physical  setting is where the story takes place, and it can be as general as a country or community or as specific as a single room in a migrant farm-worker camp off SR26 in Hastings, Florida. The  chronological  setting establishes when, and this can be as general as the Civil War period or as specific as the moment of a murder. 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. Often times, the setting can reveal something about the main character as he/she functions in that place and time period.

Character identity and disposition established the actors in the piece. Are they human, animals, plants, objects, or elements? What demographic attributes do they possess? (sex, gender, class, race, nationality, etc.) What is their disposition? (brave, insecure, frustrated, kindhearted, simpleminded, etc?) Who is/are the main character(s), or protagonist (s) and who is/are the antagonist (s)? Consider what the character says and does and what other say and do about them.

E. M. Forster, an English novelist, identified that characters are either flat or round. Flat characters 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.

On the other hand, the round characters 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.

Characters can also be described as static or developing . Static means the character stays the same throughout the story. They do not change. 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.

The plot is the main events of the work which are organized in a series by the writer. The Hero’s Journey presented in the Fantasy lesson is an example of a series of events that make up a plot. The plot usually follows a particular structure called Freytag’s Pyramid after a German playwright who lived during the 1800s who identified this structure. Freytag’s Pyramid has five parts: 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. Rising action includes the events that the main character encounters. Each event, developed in separate scenes, makes the problem more complex.  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.  Falling action includes the events that unfold after the climax. This usually creates an emotional response from the reader.  Denouement or resolution provides closure to the story. It ties up loose ends in the story.

There are two types of conflict: external and internal. External conflict is the broader circumstances such as war, weather, or gender, class and race relationships. The internal conflicts are the personal or interpersonal struggles. The conflict represents a struggle between two entities, forces, or ideas. In story writing the main character, also known as the protagonist , encounters a conflict with the antagonist , which is an adversary. The conflict may be one of six kinds:

• Character vs. character
• Character vs. nature or natural forces
• Character vs. society or culture
• Character vs. machine or technology
• Character vs. God
• Character vs himself or herself

The theme is the main idea the writer conveys to the reader by making a statement about a topic. It is the underlying truth that is being conveyed in the story. For example, ‘Love’ is not a topic, but the story may make a statement that ‘Love is more important than money.’  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.

Point of View

The point of view (POV) is the perspective from which the story is told and how the story is told. First person POV is from the protagonist using the first-person pronoun I. If the narrator is a secondary character then the POV is first person observer .  The point of view is also defined by the social positioning of the characters and their perspective based on demographics such as race, gender, class, nationality, and other variables that affect personal experiences.

Analyzing Fiction

Analyzing fiction allows the reader to draw out the more complex meanings embedded within the written text produced by the author. It allows us the see the literary piece as a sum of all of its parts – the details within each elements serve a purpose, and the cumulative purpose of those details defines the work. For discussion, you will need to conduct an analysis of a short story or novella selected from a list of authors. Use this three-step process: comprehension, interpretation, analysis.

• Comprehension (Define & Describe) : In order to interpret meaning from fiction and draw a conclusion about the work, it is necessary to understand the literary map that underlies the piece. Analyzing literature is like reading directions. Read it first for comprehension: Do you recognize the elements? Do you understand the events that lead from the beginning to the middle and how it comes to an end? Where are the most important parts of that puzzle? Establish the elements; setting, characters, theme, conflict, plot, point of view.
• Interpretation (Analyze & Evaluate) : Once you have established a map of the work, you can move on to the symbolic interpretation of meanings that are not explicitly stated by the author. To do this you need to draw out significant details within the literary devices and decipher what they represent, and how they cast light on patterns, mood and tone. Speculate on the intent and purpose of what you have drawn out with the assumption that the author made a deliberate choice with every word with the overall goal of delivering a specific message.
• Draw a Conclusion (Formulate):  Once you have dissected the literary work through story comprehension and symbolic interpretation, compile it all together to make a  statement about the what the piece communicates about life.  For example, a character in the story might reflect the internal battle between individual desire and the collective good of society. An event in the story may be a metaphor for finding truth. The setting may represent a specific historical period or movement. This is where you take ownership of the overall message and the ways YOU interpreted meaning while engaging with the work. Not everyone will interpret the same work in the same way.

Watch the videos, part one and two, to learn more about fiction analysis and Freytag’s pyramid.

Fiction in the Humanities

Fiction is a literary window into an imaginary world, and fictional literature allows us to share our fantasies, thoughts, feelings, and ideas through symbols that communicate deeper messages and meanings than literal descriptions. Fiction also allows us to make statements and approach topics that are seldom addressed in routine conversation. By writing stories and reading the stories of others, we are able to share what it means to be human and connect with others across history and culture.

References and Resources

To learn more about fiction and literary analysis in the humanities, explore the links below.

• Critical-Analysis
• Literary Analysis – Purdue Owl
• Watch:  The Politics of Fiction
• Watch:  The Danger of a Single Story
• Elements of Fiction  worksheet
• Gordon, Joan. “Surviving the Survivor: Art Spiegelman’s Maus.”  Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts , vol. 5, no. 2 (18), 1993, pp. 81–89.  JSTOR ,

For Discussion in Canvas

Select a short story or novella and conduct a short (approx. 50-100 word) literary analysis using the elements of fiction as tools in the Comprehension – Interpretation – Conclusion framework introduced in this lesson. Place terms and concepts from the lesson in bold or italics to show you used them. Be sure to research the writer and the time period the story was written in order to evaluate the social and historical context. Don’t forget to comment on the analysis contributed by at least two other students by comparing and contrasting your selected stories or the similarities and differences in your interpretations of the same story. For recommended readings, review the links below.

• Popular classic fiction books
• 100 Great Short Stories
• More short stories
• 50 Best Short stories of all time
• International Reading List
• Norse Mythology
• Project Gutenburg for free ebooks on classics

For the Creative Journal Expression

Construct a fictional character using the character elements presented in the lesson. Use the prompts listed above to create a storyline around the character using a framework such as the Hero’s Journey or Freytag’s Pyramid. Go beyond a simple ‘flat’ depiction for entertainment, and build a ’round’ character to represent a greater meaning that is significant to you. Using the space surrounding your character to answer the following questions:

• What is their identity? Are they human, an animal, plant, object, element…?
• What demographic attributes do they possess, if any? (sex, gender, class, race, nationality, etc.)
• What is their disposition? (brave, insecure, frustrated, kindhearted, simple-minded…etc?)

Make your character multidimensional, or round, by describing: 

• What the character says and does
• How it interacts with others: including relationships (ie does it have a friend, lover and/or nemesis?)
• Is there a particular conflict, theme or point of view the character represents?
• What is the overall symbolic message?

Note: Your character submission does not need to be a 2D drawing. Feel free to convert an inanimate object, a pet, or an abstraction into a character. For more resources on creating a fictional character, visit the art rocket website .

For Extra Credit

Create a short story, graphic novel or comic strip with your character. Use Freytag’s Pyramid or the Hero’s Journey to structure your story. You can create your story organically with pen and paper or use one of the online digital generators below.

• Canva Free Comic Strip Generator
• Pixton Free Graphic Novel Generator
• Short Story Generator
• Bill Myers Plot Generators

When you complete the discussion, move on to the  Poetry  lesson.

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LITERATURE REVIEW-The Elements of Fiction

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Critic’s Notebook

‘James,’ ‘Demon Copperhead’ and the Triumph of Literary Fan Fiction

How Percival Everett and Barbara Kingsolver reimagined classic works by Mark Twain and Charles Dickens.

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By A.O. Scott

One of the most talked-about novels of the year so far is “ James ,” by Percival Everett. Last year, everyone seemed to be buzzing about Barbara Kingsolver’s “ Demon Copperhead ,” which won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction . These are very different books with one big thing in common: Each reimagines a beloved 19th-century masterwork, a coming-of-age story that had been a staple of youthful reading for generations.

“Demon Copperhead” takes “David Copperfield,” Charles Dickens’s 1850 chronicle of a young boy’s adventures amid the cruelty and poverty of Victorian England, and transplants it to the rocky soil of modern Appalachia, where poverty and cruelty continue to flourish, along with opioids, environmental degradation and corruption. “James” retells Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” first published in 1884, from the point of view of Huck’s enslaved companion, Jim — now James.

The rewriting of old books is hardly a new practice, though it’s one that critics often like to complain about. Doesn’t anyone have an original idea ? Can’t we just leave the classics alone?

Of course not. Without imitation, our literature would be threadbare. The modern canon is unimaginable without such acts of appropriation as James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” which deposited the “Odyssey” in 1904 Dublin, and Jean Rhys’s “Wide Sargasso Sea,” an audacious postcolonial prequel to “Jane Eyre.” More recently, Zadie Smith refashioned E.M. Forster’s “Howards End” into “ On Beauty ” and tackled Dickens in “ The Fraud, ” while Kamel Daoud answered Albert Camus’s “The Stranger” with “ The Meursault Investigation .”

Shakespeare ransacked Holinshed’s “Chronicles” for his histories and whatever Latin and Italian plays he could grab hold of for his comedies and tragedies. A great many of those would be ripped off, too — reinvented, transposed, updated — by ambitious artists of later generations. Tom Stoppard and John Updike twisted “Hamlet” into “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” and “Gertrude and Claudius.” “Romeo and Juliet” blossomed into “West Side Story.” The best modern versions of “Macbeth” and “King Lear” are samurai movies directed by Akira Kurosawa .

As for Dickens and Twain, it’s hard to think of two more energetic self-imitators. Their collected writings are thick with sequels, reboots and spinoffs. Literary brands in their own right, they were among the most successful IP-driven franchise entertainers of their respective generations, belonging as much to popular culture as to the world of letters.

“David Copperfield,” drawing on incidents in Dickens’s early life and coming in the wake of blockbusters like “The Pickwick Papers” and “Oliver Twist,” functions as an autobiographical superhero origin story. David, emerging from a childhood that is the definition of “Dickensian,” discovers his powers as a writer and ascends toward the celebrity his creator enjoyed.

Twain was already famous when he published “Huckleberry Finn,” which revived the characters and setting of an earlier success. The very first sentence gestures toward a larger novelistic universe: “You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’; but that ain’t no matter.” (Classic sequelism: a welcome back to the established fans while ushering in the newbies.) Tom, who very nearly ruins Huck’s book when he shows up at the end, is the heart of the franchise: Tony Stark to Huck’s Ant-Man, the principal hero in an open-ended series of adventures, including a handful that Twain left unfinished .

“James” and “Demon Copperhead,” then, might fairly be described as fan fiction. Not just because of the affection Everett and Kingsolver show for their predecessors — in his acknowledgments, Everett imagines a “long-awaited lunch with Mark Twain” in the afterlife; in hers, Kingsolver refers to Dickens as her “genius friend” — but because of the liberties their love allows them to take. “Huckleberry Finn” and “David Copperfield” may be especially susceptible to revision because they are both profoundly imperfect books, with flaws that their most devoted readers have not so much overlooked as patiently endured.

I’m not talking primarily about matters of language that scrape against modern sensibilities — about Victorian sexual mores in Dickens or racial slurs in Twain. As the critic and novelist David Gates suggests in his introduction to the Modern Library edition of “David Copperfield,” “sophisticated readers correct for the merely antiquated.” I’m referring to failures of stylistic and narrative quality control.

As Gates puts it, Dickens’s novel “goes squishy and unctuous” when he “stops following his storytelling instincts and starts listening to extra-literary imperatives.” Preachiness and piety are his most evident vices. Twain’s much noted misjudgment goes in other directions, as he abandons the powerful story of Huck and Jim’s friendship — and the ethical awakening at its heart — to revert to strenuous boys-adventure Tom Sawyerism. The half-dozen final chapters postpone Jim’s freedom so that Tom — and possibly Twain as well — can show off his familiarity with the swashbuckling tropes of popular fiction and insulate “Huckleberry Finn” from the charge of taking itself too seriously.

“Persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished,” Twain warned in a prefatory note. But “Huckleberry Finn” and “David Copperfield” are both essentially comic — sometimes outright hilarious — novels rooted in hatred of injustice. It’s impossible to tease those impulses apart, or to separate what’s most appealing about the books from what’s frustrating.

That tension, I think, is what opens the door to Kingsolver’s and Everett’s reimaginings. For Kingsolver, “David Copperfield” is an “impassioned critique of institutional poverty and its damaging effects on children in his society. Those problems are still with us.” (“You’d think he was from around here,” her protagonist says when he reads Dickens for the first time.)

One way Kingsolver insulates “Demon Copperhead” from Dickensian sentimentality is by giving her protagonist a voice likely to remind many readers of Huckleberry Finn himself. Huck, after all, is the North American archetype of the resourceful, marginal, backwoods man-child. Though she doesn’t push as far into regional dialect as Twain did, the tang and salt of what used to be called southwestern humor season her pages.

Dialect figures in Dickens and Twain as a mark of authenticity and a source of laughter. In “James,” Everett weaves it into the novel’s critique of power. He replicates Jim’s speech patterns from “Huckleberry Finn,” but here they represent the language enslaved Black characters use in front of white people, part of a performance of servility and simple-mindedness that is vital to surviving in a climate of pervasive racial terror. Among themselves, James and the other slaves are witty and philosophical, attributes that also characterize James’s first-person narration. “Never had a situation felt so absurd, surreal and ridiculous,” he muses after he has been conscripted into a traveling minstrel show. “And I had spent my life as a slave.”

In “Huckleberry Finn,” Jim is Huck’s traveling companion and protector, the butt of his pranks and the agent of his redemption. Early in their journey downriver, Huck is stricken with guilt at the “sin” of helping Jim escape. His gradual understanding of the error of this thinking — of the essential corruption of a society built on human chattel — is the narrative heart of Twain’s book. Against what he has been taught, against the precepts of the “sivilized” world, he comes to see Jim as a person.

For Everett’s James, his own humanity is not in doubt, but under perpetual assault. His relationship with Huck takes on a new complexity. How far can he trust this outcast white boy? How much should he risk in caring for him? To answer those questions would be to spoil some of Everett’s boldest and most brilliant twists on Twain’s tale.

Which, in Everett’s hands, becomes, like “David Copperfield,” the story of a writer. James, who has surreptitiously learned how to read, comes into possession of a pencil stub — a treasure whose acquisition exacts a horrific cost. It represents the freedom of self-representation, the hope, implicitly realized by the novel itself, that James might someday tell his own story.

James’s version is not something Twain could have conceived, but it is nonetheless a latent possibility in the pages of “Huckleberry Finn,” much as the terrible logic of dispossession, addiction and violence in 21st-century America can be read between the lines of Dickens. Everett and Kingsolver are able to see that. This is what originality looks like.

A.O. Scott is a critic at large for The Times’s Book Review, writing about literature and ideas. He joined The Times in 2000 and was a film critic until early 2023. More about A.O. Scott

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