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Literary Elements

A literary element refers to components of a literary work (character, setting, plot, theme, frame, exposition, ending/denouement, motif, titling, narrative point-‐of-‐view). These are technical terms for the “what” of a work.

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Chris Dale Ergina
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18 views

Literary Elements

A literary element refers to components of a literary work (character, setting, plot, theme, frame, exposition, ending/denouement, motif, titling, narrative point-‐of-‐view). These are technical terms for the “what” of a work.

Uploaded by

Chris Dale Ergina
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LITERARY

ELEMENTS
LEARNING TARGETS:

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:


1. Read sample works and analyze the techniques used and the
underlying themes;
2. Write sample sentences/paragraphs about a personal experience
utilizing the different literary elements.
MOTIVATION
MOTIVATION
MOTIVATION
MOTIVATION
FICTION

• fiction work is not real hence writers can utilize both the
imagination and complex figurative language to appeal to the
readers.
• Fiction is also characterized by structured language, adherence
to proper grammatical pattern, and correct mechanics.
• A work of fiction may combine fantastical and imaginary ideas
from everyday life.
ELEMENTS OF
FICTION
CHARACTER

• Characters are beings who live in the story.


• Characters are important in fiction because they are the ones
with whom the readers empathize.
• A writer should therefore take this in consideration when
creating the characters to life.
• Characters can be flat or round.
• A flat character is not sufficiently developed, described very
little, and plays very minor role in the narrative. Sometimes they
are simply stock characters or those known simply as the
“wicked stepmom,” or the “loyal servant.”
• A round character, on the other hand, has a leading role in the
narrative. In contrast with a flat character, a round character is
complex, multi-dimensional, and well-developed that they seem
“to come to life.” These characters may undergo change through
the circumstances where they are placed, hence making them
lifelike.
• A static character remains the same throughout the narrative
while a dynamic one undergoes change. The change can be
brought by factors and elements experienced by the character
and may impact on his or her attitudes, beliefs, or actions.
SETTING

• Setting answers the question “where” and “when” about the


narrative. Answers to these questions give rise to the two types
of setting: the physical and chronological setting.
• Physical setting refers to where the story takes place. It can be
very general like in a farm, a school, or a laboratory; or it can be
specific, like “in the Metropolitan Naga Cathedral,” or “at
McDonald’s Diversion Road branch.”
• The chronological setting can also be general or
specific, as during the “Christmas season,” or “during
the early morning of December 16 in 2019.”
• Sometimes, the setting is immaterial to the story, as
when the writer wants to be universal and not limited
by time and space.
PLOT

• Plot is the order of events in the story. Writers usually follow a particular
plot structure, called “Freytag’s Pyramid,” although this is not always the
case, as some may opt to start from the middle part or ending part and go
backwards to where the events began.
• Freytag’s Pyramid is named after the German playwright of the 1800s,
Gustav Freytag, and has the five-part plot structure which includes the
exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement, also
known as resolution.
• Exposition introduces the characters, time, and the problem.
This occurs at the start of the story up to the point where an
inciting incident happens for the main character to handle or
solve. The exposition creates the beginning of the story.
• Rising action includes the happenings that the main character
encounters. As each event develops, more complications arise,
making the problem more complex for the character.
• Climax refers to the turning point in the story. This is usually a single event
with the greatest intensity and uncertainty. Here the main character contends
with the problem hence creating the peak of interest for the readers.
• Falling action are the events that unfold after the climax. The resulting
events after the climax create an emotional response from the reader.
• Denouement or resolution provides closure and ties up loose ends in the
story.
CONFLICT

• Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces or entities. The main character
encounters a conflict which may be an adversary or any other force to contend
with.
• Generally, there are two types of conflict: external and internal. External
conflict could be man against nature (a mother and her child evacuating at the
height of typhoon Yolanda), or man against man (a student being harassed by a
bully classmate). Internal conflict could be man against society or culture, or
man against himself or herself.
POINT OF VIEW

• Who is telling the story? How is the story told? Point of view answers these questions.
There are three different types of point of view which writers use in telling fiction.
• a) First person point of view means that the story is told from the viewpoint of one of the
characters who may be the protagonist or main character in the narrative. Here, first person
personal pronouns are used like I, me, my, we, and our. By using this point of view, readers
may feel an affinity and empathy for the narrator as the narration can include the narrator’s
motives, thoughts and feelings. On the other hand, this view may be limited as it cannot
say for certain other characters’ thoughts, feelings, and motives.
• b) The second person point of view which is seldom used, speaks to the reader as if the
reader is the protagonist. At other times, the narrator may use apostrophe, a figurative
language where the speaker talks to an absent or unidentified person. The second person
pronouns are used here like you and your.
• c) The third person point of view is classified into third person limited and third person
omniscient. In both types of view, the narrator is not a character nor in the story. In third
person limited, the narrator is limited only to one of the character’s thoughts. In third
person omniscient, the narrator is “all-knowing” and “all-seeing” and knows various
characters’ thoughts. This view uses third person pronouns like he, she, it, and they.
THEME

• Theme is the underlying truth conveyed by the


author through the story. Themes are usually
universal which means that they are understood
by readers across cultures, eras, or nationalities.

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