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Introduction Fiction any literary works that uses the authors Imagination to invent characters, events, places and situations. Fiction is usually associated with novels and short stories Novel A highly stylized prose account of fictional reality in the form of story with profundity for the purpose of changing the reader mind by the aid of the readers active involvement while providing entertainment and superior truth of life. Short Story A narrative in prose that is shorter than a novel. According to EdgarAllen Poe, short story is a prose narrative, often concentrating on a“certain unique or single effect”, which could be read at one sitting of half an hour to two hours. The Elements of Fiction Setting Plot Character and characterization Theme Narrator and point of view Style and tone Setting The place where the story takes place. It includes: * the geographical location * the time period * the socio-economic characteristics of the location * the specific building, room, etc. Can be used to tell the readers some information about the characters, the social background, etc. Can be used to set the atmosphere PLOTAn authors selection and arrangement of incidents in a story to shape the action and give the story a particular focus. Discussions of plot include not just what happens, but also how and why things happen the way they do. There are 5 elements of plot Introduction Rising Action Climax Falling ActionResolutionAll the events leading up to the climaxWhere the reader is introduced to the conflict Rising ActionComplication(s) creates some sort of conflict for the protagonist (the main character). Conflict: the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. Without conflict, there is no plot. Interpersonal conflict human vs human human vs nature human vs society Internal conflict human vs self the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing -William Faulkner Climaxthe moment of greatest emotional tension in a narrative, usually marking a turning point in the plot at which the rising action reverses to become the falling action. Falling Action or RESOLUTIONthe conclusion of a plots conflicts and complications. The resolution follows the climax in the plot. Character and characterization Character protagonist: the major or central character of the plot antagonist: the character against whom the protagonist struggles or contends Note: protagonist is different from hero or heroine. It does not imply moral judgments. Characters can be divided into round or flat characters. Round/dynamic characters: are complex multidimensional characters with the capacity to grow and change. Flat/static characters are those who embody or represent a single characteristic or trait, or at most a very limited number of such qualities. Characterization: Characterization by telling: Characterization through the use of names Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter, Willy Lowman in Death of a Salesman, 卜 世 仁 in 红楼 梦 Characterization through the description of the appearance: Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter Characterization by the comment of the author Characterization by showing: Characterization through dialogue Characterization through action theme the central or dominating idea in a literary work. It is a generalized view of life and human nature. Note: there is no single, or absolute way of expressing a works theme. i.e. Jane Eyre themes: love vs autonomy religion gender relations the strict social hierarchy at Victoria Age Narrator and point of view Narrator is the person who tells the story. Narrator is different from the author. The narrator in a novel can be a participant or a non participant in the story. So, there is a relation: the authorthe narratorthe reader. Point of view The perspective from which the story is told. Who is telling the story? (for instance, is it a player of the home team, someone watching the game?) Omniscient point of view: the narrator knows everything about all the characters Limited omniscient point of view: the narrator knows everything about one character in the story Henry James The objective point of view: The story is presented dramatically through action and dialogue A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Point of View is simply who is telling the story.Omniscient POV- The story is told in third person by a narrator who has unlimited knowledge of events and characters.Third Person Limited POV- The story is told in third person but from the view point of a character in the story. POV is limited to the characters perceptions and shows no direct knowledge of what other characters are thinking, feeling, or doing.*Stream of Consciousness- presents the random thoughts going through a characters head within a certain period of time. First Person POV- The author disappears into one of the characters. Shares the limitations of third person limited. Uses the pronouns “I” and “we”.Objective POV- Records only what is seen and heard. In its purest form, objective POV would consist of only dialogue. Forces the author to refrain from interpretation. Second Person POV- Uses the pronoun “you”. Infrequently used. symbol refers to images, objects, settings, events ad characters that convey meaning beyond their literal one A symbol is a visible sign of something invisible. red rose waterlion darknesslove/respect renewal/cleanlinesscourage evil/danger Style and tone Style refers to the distinctive manner in which a writer arranges words to achieve particular effects. Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, etc. Tone is the authors implicit attitude toward the people, places, and events in fiction. amusement, anger, affection, sorrow, contempt, etc. Stylethe distinctive and unique manner in which a writer arranges words to achieve particular effects. Style essentially combines the idea to be expressed with the individual word choices as well as matters such as the length of sentences, their structure, tone, and use of irony.style is the man Diction- Central to an authors style. Includes:1 . Vocabulary- Choice of wordsa. Simple words- Everyday word choice. (“She was sick for a long time.)b. Complex words- Flexing intellectual muscle (“Garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood.)c. Concrete words- Things we can touch, see, etc. (Jeans, book,.)d. Abstract words- Words that express intangible ideas (freedom, heritage, something)2 . Syntax- arrangement of words, their ordering, grouping and placement within phrases, clauses, and sentences. irony Irony means that the actual is in discrepancy with the expected. There are three kinds of irony: Verbal irony: when a person says one thing, but he or she actually means the opposite. Situational irony: is established when there is an incongruity between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. A Good Man Is Hard to Find Dramatic irony: involves the contrast between what a character believes or says and what the reader understands to be true.
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