Basic Literary Elements What are Literary Elements The
Basic Literary Elements
What are Literary Elements? • The building blocks of a story that, when combined, form an entire literary work. • Basic literary elements include, but are not limited to: • Point of View: • 1 st Person • 2 nd Person • 3 rd Person • Character Types: • Protagonist • Antagonist • Static • Dynamic • Plot: • Exposition • Rising Action • Climax • Falling Action • Resolution • Tone • Theme/Message
Point of View • Definition: The narrator's position in relation to the story being told. • Three Primary Types: • 1 st Person: The I/me/we/us perspective • Example: “I am going to tell you the story of my trip to Mexico. ” • 2 nd Person: The you/your perspective • Example: “You wouldn’t be able to forget it for the rest of your life. ” • 3 rd Person: The he/she/it/they perspective • Example: “They got lost in the city and he didn’t know if they would ever be able to leave. ”
Character Types • Protagonist: • The leading or main character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work. • Antagonist: • The opposing force in a story. The antagonist is in direct conflict with the main character/protagonist. • The antagonist can be: • Human • Non-Human (e. g. animal, alien) • A Conceptual Idea or Condition (e. g. fear, self-hatred)
Character Types • Dynamic Character: • A dynamic character goes through one or more of the following within a story that changes them for better or worse: • A major life transition • A coming-of-age experience • Pulls through trials and tribulations • Matures • Has a change of heart • Develops more or less likeable qualities • Static Character: • Is largely the same person at the end of the story as they were in the beginning. • A static character does not undergo any major changes throughout a story.
Basic Plot Elements 1. Exposition: • The writer's way to give background information to the audience about the setting and the characters of the story. • Setting: The time, place, and conditions in which the action of a book, movie, etc. , takes place. 2. Rising Action: • The series of events that build toward the point of greatest interest/climax. • Conflict: Any struggle between opposing forces. 3. Climax/Turning Point: • The point of a story where the conflict reaches its highest point or tension.
Basic Plot Elements 4. Falling Action: • The part of a story that occurs after the climax has been reached and the primary conflict has been resolved. 5. Resolution: • The conclusion of a story’s plot. • The final part or chapters of a story.
Theme vs. Topic • Theme: • A main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. • An opinion expressed about the topic or the “moral” of the story. Examples: • • • “Crime doesn’t pay” “Love conquers all” “Man struggles against nature” “Sacrifice brings reward” “Death is a part of life”
Theme vs. Topic • Topic: • A general subject of discussion or conversation. • A broad, general concept addressed in a story. Examples: • • • Love Anger Money Family Greed
Tone • The author’s attitude or feelings about what they have written. • A quality, feeling, or attitude expressed by the words that someone uses in speaking or writing.
Denotation vs. Connotation • Denotation: • The literal or cognitive meaning of a word (i. e. the dictionary definition of a word). • Denotation = Definition • Example: • Blue A color on the color spectrum • Connotation: • The emotions or set of associations attached to a word that is implied rather than literal. • Example: • Blue To “feel blue” means that you feel sad or depressed
Positive vs. Negative Connotation Positive Connotation: Negative Connotation: • Youthful Describes a person as looking or • Childish Describes a person as immature acting young • Lean Describes a person as thin and healthy • Guest Describes a person as a desired or invited guest like a child • Scrawny Describes a person as thin and weak • Intruder Describes a person as an unwanted visitor
Annotation: • A note of explanation or comment added to a text or diagram. • Used to help analyze and break down text or diagrams.
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