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Elements of Fiction

The document outlines various elements of fiction such as plot, characters, point of view, symbolism, atmosphere, language, style, irony, time and place, and themes. It discusses different types of plots, characters, points of view including first person, third person objective and omniscient, and techniques like stream of consciousness. It also distinguishes between narrator and author as well as defines concepts like symbolism, atmosphere, conflict, and irony.

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Sung Jung ki Kilay is life
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79 views24 pages

Elements of Fiction

The document outlines various elements of fiction such as plot, characters, point of view, symbolism, atmosphere, language, style, irony, time and place, and themes. It discusses different types of plots, characters, points of view including first person, third person objective and omniscient, and techniques like stream of consciousness. It also distinguishes between narrator and author as well as defines concepts like symbolism, atmosphere, conflict, and irony.

Uploaded by

Sung Jung ki Kilay is life
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ELEMENTS OF FICTION

ELEMENTS OF FICTION
• Plot
• Characters
• Narrator’s Point of view
• Symbolism
• Atmosphere
• Language
• Style
• Irony
• Time and Place
• Themes
PLOT

• Plot:
A plot in fiction is the arrangement of events in a story. It has an
exposition, a conflict (complication of events and a conclusion), and a
resolution.
Plots differ with reference to the above arrangements. For example:
there are stories which do not have a climax or a resolution.The
arrangement of the parts of the plot is the writer’s choice
CHARACTERS

• There are Flat and Round characters.


• A Round character: a major character (usually the protagonist) who
experiences change.
• A Flat character: a minor character
NARRATOR

Narrator’s point of view:


First Person
Third Person:
A Narrator can also be:
Omniscient
Partially omniscient
Objective
Dramatic
POINT OF VIEW

• a term used to describe the way


in which the reader is presented
with the story; also defined as the
vantage point from which the
author presents the story.
POINT OF VIEW

•I. First Person point of view


(Uses personal pronouns: I, me,
mine, we, us, our)
- the narrator is the main
character who tells his/her own
story.
POINT OF VIEW

• II. Third Person point of view


(Uses personal pronouns: he,
she, it, they, them, etc.)
- This narrator is an outside
narrator.
THIRD PERSON POINT OF
VIEW
•A. Third Person: Objective
–This narrator is like a news
reporter. He tells us the facts
only. He cannot enter into the
thoughts of the characters.
THIRD PERSON POINT OF
VIEW
•B. Third Person: Limited
–This narrator can see into
the mind of only one
character.
THIRD PERSON POINT OF
VIEW
•C. Third Person: Omniscient
–This narrator can relate the
thoughts of all the characters.
OBJECTIVE POINT OF VIEW

• The objective point of view is the point of view from a distanced,


informational perspective, as in a news report.
SUBJECTIVE POINT OF VIEW

• The subjective point of view involves a personal perspective.


THE STREAM OF
CONSCIOUSNESS TECHNIQUE
One modern and sophisticated technique of narration is the Stream
of Consciousness Technique.
In the S of C techniques the writer introduces to us a narrator who
oscillates between past, present and future in a haphazard manner;
without attention to the chronological sequence of events
Some critics describe the S of C techniques as “human mind at work”;
human mind is not rhythmic in its perception of things
AESTHETIC DISTANCE

• We need to be aware of the difference between the author/writer


and the narrator: they are not the same.
• The aesthetic distance is the distance that the writer maintains
between himself and the narrator.
• Students usually confuse the narrator with the writer. In fiction the
author does not appear in the story or the novel. It is the narrator
who tells the story.
NARRATOR/AUTHOR

• What if the narrator is the same as the Author?


• The work then becomes an autobiography and not fiction.
SYMBOLISM

• There are conventional symbols: symbols that are used by many


writers and that are known to almost all people. The Dove: a symbol
of Peace
• There are private symbols that are used by one writer in one work of
literature
• Symbols are naturally known to allow for different interpretations.
ATMOSPHERE

• The atmosphere of the story is generally created by the author and it


contributes to the meaning of the story. An atmosphere can be
described as dark, sunny, gloomy, rainy, silent, boisterous ---etc.
• A protagonist who initiates a journey at night may be seen as a
fearless adventurer or a gloomy ignorant mishap
LANGUAGE

The language of a story or a novel may be one of the concerns of the


critic. The language of a story may be described as slang, standard,
difficult, poetic, prosaic ---etc.
The language of a story may not be described as difficult if we, as
foreign readers, find very many new words. This reality may be
attributed to our language proficiency and not the difficulty of the
language of the story
STYLE

• Style is the way the writer presents his/her story


• The style of a story can be described as lucid, boring, tense,
complicated, sophisticated ---etc.
• A writer may choose at certain episodes to use long sentences; short
sentences at other episodes.
TIME AND PLACE

• Writers usually locate their stories within a specific time and place
• Awareness of the time and place of a story illuminates our perception
• A story located in London during the post World War era may inform
our reading of that story.
CONFLICT

• MAN VS MAN
• MAN VS NATURE
• MAN VS HIMSELF
IRONY

• The simple definition of irony entails saying something and meaning


just the opposite of what is said.
• The whole story or parts of it can be ironic.
• If one says “I love having four exams in one day), s/he certainly means
the opposite of what s/he says.
THEMES
The theme of the story is the message that the writer aims at
conveying to us.
The message that the writer intends to convey to us may not be the
same message that we find. This reality is referred to as the intentional
fallacy.
A writer may intend to present to us the negative consequences of
prejudice and we as readers may find the same work a terrible source
of prejudice.

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