Literary Elements, Structures, and Tradition Flashcards
5 Elements of a Short Story?
- Setting
- Character
- Conflict
- Plot
- Theme
It is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or a piece of literary work.
Character
the most important characters in the story
Main characters
characters that are usually static or unchanging
Minor characters
the character with whom the reader empathizes
Protagonist
the character that goes against the protagonist
Antagonist
is the method used by the author to reveal the personality of the character/s.
Characterization
The characters are revealed according to:
- Actions of the character
- Thoughts of the character
- Descriptions of the character
- Descriptions of other characters
- Descriptions of the author
It is the time and place that a story occurs.
Setting
Geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place?
Place
When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc.)
Time
Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc.?
Weather Conditiosn
What is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story contain local color (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a particular place)?
Social Conditions
What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?
Mood or Atmosphere
TRUE OR FALSE:
“Authors often use descriptions of landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to provide a strong sense of setting.”
TRUE
It is a pattern of events that develop from the interactions between characters.
Plot
A series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict. It is the main action that runs through the whole story.
Plot
5 Elements of Plot
- Exposition/introduction
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Falling Action
- Conclusion or Resolution
the beginning of the story where the characters and setting is revealed.
Exposition/introduction
- this is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax)
Rising Action
this is the highest point and the turning point of the story. The readers wonder what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
Climax
the events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and resolution)
Falling action
the part of the plot that concludes the falling action by revealing or suggesting the outcome of the conflict.
Conclusion or resolution
It is any problem that a character encounters in a story.
Conflict
is a struggle between two people or things in a short story.
Conflict
2 types of conflicts
- External
- Internal
A struggle with a force outside one’s self.
External
A struggle within one’s self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
Internal
4 types of conflict
- Man vs Man
- Man vs Society
- Man vs Nature
- Man vs Self
a type of conflict where one character in the story has a problem with one or more of the other characters
Man vs Man
a type of conflict where a character has a conflict or problem with some element of society-the school, the law, the accepted way of doing things, and so on
Man vs Society
a type of conflict where a character has a problem with some natural happening: snowstorm, typhoon, avalanche, bitter cold, or any elements common to nature
Man vs Nature
-is a type of conflict where a character has trouble deciding what to do in a particular situation
Man vs Self
It is the underlying message, big idea, controlling idea or central insight
Theme
It pertains to critical belief about life the author is trying to convey in the writing of a novel, play, short story or poem
Theme
TRUE OR FALSE:
A theme can be expressed as a general statement about people or life.
TRUE
TRUE OR FALSE:
It is NOT plot summary. It can be either directly or indirectly stated by the author. Most likely indirectly.
TRUE
- What the story is ABOUT
- usually expressed in a word or two: love, childhood, or death
Subject
states what the subject MEANS
Theme
the angle from which the story is told.
Point of View
4 types of Point of View
- First Person POV
- Second Person POV
- Third Person POV limited
- Third Person POV omniscient
type of pov wherein “I” am telling the story, relating his or her experiences directly.
First Person POV
the story is told to “you.” This POV is not common in fiction, but it’s still good to know (it is common in nonfiction)
Second Person POV
the story is about “he” or “she.” This is the most common point of view in fiction. The narrator is outside of the story and relating the experiences of a character.
Third Person POV limited
the story is still about “he” or “she”, but the narrator has full access to the thoughts and experiences of all characters in the story.
Third Person POV omniscient
TRUE OR FALSE:
literature helps transcend temporal as well as geographic (and even linguistic) discontinuities.
TRUE
simply means such an accumulative process of handing down texts for future generations.
Literary Tradition
also called orality, the first and still most widespread mode of human communication. Far more than “just talking,” it refers to a dynamic and highly diverse oral-aural medium for evolving, storing, and transmitting knowledge, art, and ideas
Oral tradition
