SettingTime and place of the story
When and where the story happens
Examples:
1912, Venus, the future
Can a story have multiple settings?
CharacterPerson, animal, natural force, or object in the
storyDifferent types of characters:
Flat—one personality traitRound—has many different personality traitsStatic—never changeDynamic—develops and grows during the storyMain—more important charactersMinor—less important characters
Protagonist—the main character of the story; the good guy
Antagonist—the force or person in conflict with the main character; the bad guy
Characterization How the author makes the character come
aliveDoes this by providing physical descriptions,
character traits, thoughts, and feelings
Plotthe series of events in a story
Exposition
Rising action
Climax
Falling action
Resolution
Exposition (introduction)—beginning of a story that gives background information, introduces characters, and sometimes introduces conflict
Rising action—more complex actions occur, problems are more complicated, and a desire to find out what happens next is created
Climax—when the intensity of the story reaches a peak and a turning point in action occurs that affects the outcome of the story
Falling action—intensity of the story subsides and the results of the major events wind down and are described
Resolution—the ending of the story when the problem or conflict is solved
ConflictThe problem of the storyTwo types of conflict:
Internal Man vs. self
External Man vs. man Man vs. nature Man vs. society
ThemeThe lesson you learn or the moral of the storyThe main idea the author wishes to share with
the readerThe subject of the story is not the same as the
theme of the story Theme cannot be love—what about love? Theme is not usually stated directly in the story
Point of ViewWho is telling the story
First Person –a character in the story is telling the story. I, me
Third Person – someone else is telling the story Third person limited—narrator only knows one
character’s thoughts and feelings Third person omniscient—all knowing; told by someone
who knows the thoughts and feelings of every character in the story