Parts of a Story English II October 2007

SETTING § The time and place in which a story occurs. § Setting is created mostly by an author’s use of sensory details, or details that appeal to a reader’s senses. These details… § bring the appearance and mood of the setting to life § convey the importance or meaning of the setting

POINT OF VIEW § The perspective from which a story is told. There are three main types of narrative point of view: § First Person: The narrator is a character in the story and has limited knowledge of people and events. § Third Person Limited: The narrator is not a character in the story and has limited knowledge of people and events. § Third Person Omniscient: The narrator is not a character in the story, and has unlimited knowledge of people and events.

CHARACTER § Types of characters: § Dynamic – A character who grows or develops as a result of the events of a story. § Static – A character who remains unchanged at the end of a story. § Round – A well-developed character about whom a story provides substantial insight. § Flat – A character who is lacking in substance or information.

§ Character development is done in two main ways: § Direct characterization – Occurs when an author provides information about a character directly. § Indirect characterization – Occurs when the reader has to infer information about a character from events or statements.

PLOT DEVELOPMENT § The events that make up a story. A plot moves according to a certain pattern: 1. Exposition – The beginning of the story, in which an author introduces basic places, people, and situations. 2. Conflict – A conflict is introduced into the story which the events of the story must resolve. 3. Climax – The conflict eventually comes to a peak, creating a moment of greatest tension. 4. Resolution – The ending of the story which provides closure or a solution to the conflict.

CONFLICT § There are two major and five minor types of conflict: § Internal conflict: § Person vs. Self – a conflict that takes place entirely within a person’s mind or emotions. § External conflict: § § Person vs. Society Person vs. Nature Person vs. Fate

TONE § Tone is a speaker or author’s attitude towards a specific person, event, subject, etc. § Tone is revealed by § diction (word choice) § imagery § details (both those that are included and omitted) § sentence structure