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HISTORICAL FICTIONHISTORICAL FICTION—SHORT STORIES—SHORT STORIES

HISTORICAL FICTIONHISTORICAL FICTION—SHORT STORIES—SHORT STORIES

Elements of Fiction Elements of Fiction

ELEMENTS OF FICTION• Author’s Purpose• Setting• Character• Plot• Point of View• Symbolism• Style• Mood and Tone• Theme• Cause and Effect• Foreshadowing

Author’s Purpose

An author’s reason for creating a particular work is called the author’s purpose. Sometimes the author will state his or her purpose up front. Other times you’ll need to make inferences (reasonable guesses) about the author’s purpose.

• There are four basic reasons an author might choose to write:

• to explain or inform• to entertain• to persuade• to enlighten or reveal an important truth

Setting

If you could talk about the where and when of a story, what you’re really talking about is the story’s setting.

Understanding a story’s setting can give you a context for the events of the plot. It can also give you clues about the mood, or atmosphere, of a story.

CHARACTER:

A character is a person, an animal, or an imaginary creature that takes part in the action of a story. Sometimes the author will directly describe a character’s appearance, personality, or feelings. Other times the author will leave clues and expect you to draw conclusions about what the person or animal is like.

•Character

•Characterization

•Character Types

CHARACTERIZATION:

An author can give information about a character by describing several aspects of the character:

• Physical appearance and personality

• Speech, behavior, and actions

• Thoughts and feelings

• Interactions with other characters

CHARACTER TYPES:

Most stories have both main and minor characters. The main character, or protagonist, is the most important character.

The action of the plot revolves around him or her. Often the antagonist, the person or thing working against the protagonist, is also a main character.

Plot• PLOT:

Plot is the action of a story. It is the series of related events that the author describes from the beginning of the story to the end.

Most plots follow a chronological order. In other words, they proceed in the order in which the events happen.

Point of View• First-person Point of View: in the first-

person point of view, the story is told by one of the characters. The character uses pronouns such as I or we and usually participates in much of the action.

• Third-person Point of View: in the third-person point of view, the story is told by a narrator who is not a character in the story. (Pronouns such as she, he, and they are used when writing in third-person point of view)

Symbolism• A symbol is something concrete—such

as a person, place, or object—that signifies something more than just itself, something abstract, such as a concept or an idea. Examples:

• A heart symbolizes ___________________• A dove symbolizes ___________________

Style• Style is the way writers express their

ideas. It’s how they say something, not what they say. Style involves these three elements:

• Word choice• Sentence structure and length• Literary devices, such as figurative

language, symbols, dialogue, and imagery

Theme

• A writer’s message, or main point, is the theme of his or her literary work. Looking for a theme helps you look more deeply into the literature and makes for more enjoyable reading.

• You will need to infer what the theme is from the work’s title, key scenes, characters, symbols, and plot events.

Mood and ToneMood is the emotion that YOU

feel while you’re reading.

Some literature makes you feel sad, others joyful, still others angry.

Tone is the attitude an author takes toward the audience, subject or character. The tone is conveyed through the author’s words and details.

Think of when someone says, “Don’t use that tone with me!” Your tone can change the meaning of what you say.

Theme

• A writer’s message, or main point, is the theme of his or her literary work. Looking for a theme helps you look more deeply into the literature and makes for more enjoyable reading.

• You will need to infer what the theme is from the work’s title, key scenes, characters, symbols, and plot events.

Cause and Effect

An event which happens first (known as the cause) produces a result (effect).

Basically, we are talking about what happens and why.

Michael, Phillip, Tina, Juan, Cynthia, and James all decided to squeeze into the rollercoaster seat designed to fit just three people. “what was the big deal?” though Juan. A few more friends would just make the ride that much more fun, right? The six friends cheered as the rollercoaster roared down the first large hill and into the sharp right-hand turn.

Excitement quickly turned to terror as the rollercoaster began to sway and groan under the heavy burden of its thrill-seeking passengers. As the ride screamed through the turn, Cynthia found herself being crushed against the door. How much more could she take?

The noise from the runaway coaster grew and grew until the sounds of splintering wood and twisting metal filled the air. Then, silence. For an instant, Cynthia and her five friends hung weightless in mid air. Perhaps they thought of their families. Maybe they thought of their friends. Or maybe, just maybe, they thought of the sign that read “3 Passengers Per Car”.

Whichever thought went through their minds, it was their last.

Cause and Effect

CauseCause EffectEffect

A hint about what will happen next is called foreshadowing

For example, if you hear this:

Then you know someone’s about to get eaten!