Story Elements 9 th Grade Literature and Language Arts
Plot Triangle Climax Inciting Incident Introduces the Central Conflict Rising Action (Development) Falling Action Exposition (Basic Situation) Resolution (Denouement)
Exposi;on Includes: Plot Setting
Characteriza;on Direct Characterization Indirect Characterization
Characters Round Flat Static Dynamic
Rising Ac;on Rising Action (Development) Plot Triangle Character roles: Protagonist the main character in a literary work Antagonist- A character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist.
Point of View First person a character in the story who speaks directly to us and uses I How can you know if a narrator is credible? Unreliable? Give examples of each.
Point of View Third person Omniscient all knowing ; the narrator is not a character in the story, but is able to tell us everything about every character Third person Limited the speaker focuses on just one character using he or she
VOICE Voice the writer s use of language and overall style..distinctive sound or way of speaking on the page. Diction word choice Tone the attitude the speaker or writer takes toward the subject, a character, or the audience (Examples: formal or informal, serious or playful, angry or ironic.)
THEME Theme the central idea or insight about life that the story reveals A generalization about life or human nature Universal themes (good vs. evil, life vs. death, love vs. loss) Subject matter, character, conflict, and title may all contribute to the theme of a story.
IRONY Irony the difference between what we expect and what actually occurs Verbal irony when someone says one thing and means the opposite Situational irony an event that is the opposite to what was expected Dramatic irony we know information that the characters do not know Ambiguity unclear; open to several meanings; more than one possible outcome
symbolism! Symbol an ordinary object, event, person, or animal to which we have attached additional meaning and significance
Allegory Allegory a story with two or more levels of meaning a literal level and one or more symbolic levels. The events, setting, and characters in an allegory are symbols for ideas and qualities.
FOIL Character Foil A character who provides contrast to another character. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, the fiery temper of Tybalt serves as a foil to the good nature of Benvolio.
GENRE Ò A genre is a category or type of literature. Ò There are 3 main genres: É Poetry: Lyric Poetry, Concrete Poetry, Drama;c Poetry, Narra;ve Poetry, and Epic Poetry. É Prose: Fic;on (Novels, Short Stories,) and Nonfic;on (Biography, Autobiography, LeUers, Essays, Reports.) É Drama: Serious Drama and Tragedy, Comic Drama and Comedy, Melodrama, and Farce.
First Semester Review: Do You Remember These? Characters Antagonist A character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist. Protagonist The main character in a literary work. Types of Characters A round character shows many different traits; a flat character shows only one trait. A dynamic character develops and grows during the course of the story; a static character does not change.
First Semester Review: Do You Remember These? Characterization Direct Characterization the author directly states a character s traits. Indirect Characterization the author provides clues about a character by describing what a character looks like, does, and days, as well as how other characters react to him or her. The reader must draw conclusions about the character based on this indirect information. (Shows, rather than tells.)
Conflict (Struggle between opposing forces.) Internal Conflict A character experiences conflict with himself or herself. Examples: making a difficult decision, guilt, conscience. Man vs. Himself External Conflict A character struggles against an outside force. Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. Society
Setting the time and place of the action. Mood/Atmosphere the feeling created in a work or passage. The mood is often suggested by descriptive details. Imagery Descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader. (Sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, or movement.)
Special Techniques Flashback The author presents information that occurred earlier than the present tense of the narrative. Foreshadowing When clues suggest events that are yet to occur. Foreshadowing creates suspense.