Elements of Fiction Flashcards
plot
Plot can be defined as the pattern that results from the events in the story in the order in which they are presented. Most plots involve conflict, external and/or internal, as characters participate in a series of actions. In some stories, plot may not be the emphasis; the author may instead use revelation, in which the character or reader moves toward a particular insight or understanding.
Symbolism
Symbolism is the literal use of an object, person, action, or other item, that suggests a larger, perhaps more universal, meaning. For example, a character’s voyage may be used to suggest a journey through life, or the use of water within a story may suggest a cleansing through spiritual rebirth.
Imagery
To make an imaginary world seem real, an author often makes use of words and phrases that appeal to the senses. These words and phrases, called images. help a reader mentally experience what the characters in the literary selection are actually experiencing. Imagery arouses a particular response or emotion in the reader’s imagination.
Point of View
The vantage point from which the author presents the action of the story is called point of view. Point of view encompasses voice, involvement, knowledge and reliability.
Style
Style is a product of the unique conscious and unconscious choices which an author makes concerning sentence structure, setting, subject matter, tone, and numerous other elements of fiction.
Tone
Tone refers to the manner of speaking that an author uses. An author’s tone may be revealed in the attitude toward the characters and subject, the construction of sentence patterns, word usage, figurative language, or any number of other literary devices. It is by controlling tone that an author creates spirit and attitude.
Setting
The background against which the story takes place is referred to as setting. This includes such factors as geographical location, placement of physical objects, and the time or period in which the action occurs. The emotional environment of the characters (religious, social, etc.) can also be used in the analysis of setting.
Character
Fictional characters are developed through description, actions, thoughts and speeches, direct statement from the writer, and/or opinions voiced by other characters. Depending on their importance in the story, characters are developed to different degrees. Characters can be identified as static, meaning they undergo no changes in the story, or dynamic, meaning that a permanent change, for better or worse, in personality, outlook, or some other aspect of character occurs within the framework of the short story. The effectiveness of the writer’s development of characters correlates with the emotional response of the reader.
Characterisation
Characterization is the way in which the character(s) are presented as a part of the writer’s strategy or plan. There are two main methods:
Theme
Irony
Direct Characterization- authorial interpretation
Indirect Characterization- the way in which the characters “give themselves
away” through choices, deeds, thought processes, speech and even the visual impressions they make
Theme
This term refers to the central idea or dominating thought, which results from the other elements contained in fiction. Theme may be a complex, abstract concept, but one which summarizes the author’s purpose in writing the narrative.
Irony
The contrasts generated by the use of irony add dimension to the theme of a story.
Metaphor
A comparison between two distinctly different things, without using like or as. For example, if Burns had said “O my love is a red, red rose”. It should be noted that in these examples (both simile and metaphor) we can distinguish two elements: the “tenor” and the “vehicle”. The tenor refers to the concept, object, or person meant (in the case of Burns’ love), and the vehicle refers to the image that carries the weight of the comparison (the rose).
Simile
A simile is a rhetorical figure expressing comparison or likeness that directly compares two objects through some connective word such as like, as, so, than, or a verb such as resembles. As the Beatles said: It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog” More examples: “These cookies taste like garbage” and “He smokes like a chimney”. Examples with “as”: “It felt as hard as rock.” and “She
looked as gentle as a lamb.”
Foil
In literature a foil is a character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.
POV: Third person, omniscient
Third person, omniscient - The narrator is an outside observer who never refers to himself/herself as “I”, “me”, or “we”. This narrator has unlimited access to all characters, and knows everything that all of the characters do, think, see and feel.
