Literary Elements Plot Point of View Atmosphere Setting

Literary Elements

Plot Point of View Atmosphere Setting Foreshadowing Characters Flashback Conflict Theme Irony Motivation Motif Suspense Symbol Allusion

(Once upon a time…) Plot: The sequence of events that take place in a story. Exposition: sets up the story by telling background, setting, & characters Rising Action: main part of the story where Climax: point of greatest intensity; the turning point problems arise

Falling Action: contains dialogue & action leading to a satisfying ending Resolution: satisfying ending telling how resolved …and they lived happily ever after. problems are

Plot Line tio Ac ing Ris n ctio g. A lin Exposition Fal n Climax Resolution

Time & Place (It was a dark and scary night…. )

Authors present believable characters by: • character’s actions & words • character’s appearance • character’s inner thoughts • character’s background • what other characters think say about the character & • author commenting directly about a character

Characters who change little, if at all. Examples? Characters who change significantly over the course of a story. Examples?

The central or main character in a story. (The Good Guy) Root word? Examples? Works against the protagonist. (The Bad Guy) Root word? Examples?

The reason a character behaves in a certain way

é The struggle that takes place between two opposing forces. EXTERNAL: (outside) INTERNAL: (with in) êperson against person êperson against himself êperson against nature êperson against society êperson against unknown

Write an example of each type of conflict with an arrow pointing to the type!

Who is telling the story? é 1 st person: a character speaks directly to the reader & refers to him/herself as “I” é 3 rd person: a narrator who is not a character & refers to all characters as “he” or “she”

What I can’t stand the suspense! will happen next? The author’s ability to make the reader uncertain or tense about what is to happen next.

How does this writing make me feel? The mood or feeling that runs through a work of literature. Writers create atmosphere usually through their choice of details & description

The use of clues or hints by the author to prepare the reader for future developments in a story Foreshadowing helps us make predictions…and then we want to read on to see if our predictions come true!

FLASH An interruption of the action in a story to tell about something that happened earlier in time. BACK

Any person, place, or thing which has meaning in itself but which is made to represent, or stand for something else as well.

What is the author trying to tell us? What is his message? The central idea in a work of literature Why did the author write this book?

A reference to a statement, a person, a place, or event from literature, the arts, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, or science.

Examples of Allusion: • The rise in poverty will unlock the Pandora box of crimes. – “Pandora box” an allusion to Greek Mythology. • “This place is like a Garden of Eden. ” – It is a biblical allusion. • “Hey! Guess who the new Einstein of our school is? ” – “Einstein”, here means a genius student, alludes to a famous mathematician. • “Stop acting like my ex-boyfriend please. ” – Apart from scholarly allusions we refer to common people and places in our speech.

A contrast between what is stated and what is really meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually does happen.

MOTIF • Recurring events, issues, or characters across many stories from many cultures. • “Token” situations or characters – Example: A wicked stepmother, a perilous journey, a knight riding a white horse to save the day, the number 3 (or things happening in threes)

Fiction Genres • Science Fiction: based on impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, usually set in the future or on other planets. Aliens and space travel are common as well. • Fantasy: not realistic. Has mythical, magical, and fantastic elements. May include imaginary worlds, talking creatures, mythical beings, magic, etc… • Adventure: action-packed stories, usually has heroes fighting bad guys. • Historical Fiction: set in a specific time in the past. • Mystery: investigators are trying to solve crimes. The investigators can be kids, adults, or real detectives. . • Folk Literature: stories that have been passed down by tradition. Includes tall tales, myths, and legends. Has heroes that fight villains, satisfying conclusions, cultural/moral lessons. • Drama: Written with stage directions and mostly dialogue. Meant to be performed. • Western: stories about cowboys, outlaws, and Native Americans in the American west. • Horror: contains magic and unexplained events presented in a way that is intended to frighten the reader.