ELEMENTS OF FICTION - Alvin Independent School District

15 Pages·2013·0.63 MB·English

ELEMENTS OF FICTION
Foldable Activity
Foldable Instructions
Fold your sheet of cardstock hotdog style.
1.
Draw 5 lines horizontally across the paper to
2.
divide it into 6 sections.
You should have 6 flaps on your foldable when
3.
finished.
Cut along those 5 lines to make flaps that open on
4.
the front side of your foldable.
DO NOT CUT THROUGH THE BACK!!!!

Label your sections in this order:

Setting

Characters

Plot

Conflict

Theme

Point of View

What is a SHORT STORY?
The short story is a work of fiction that is

shorter and more limited than a novel.

It usually focuses on one important event

in the lives of a small number of central
characters.

Short Stories vary in length but are

usually short enough to be read in one
sitting.
SETTING
Time and place of the action that occurs in the story.

Setting Examples
Place

Where the action of the story taking place.


Time

Past/present/future, time of day, year etc.


Weather Conditions

Rainy, sunny, stormy.


Social Conditions

Daily life of character, speech, dress, mannerisms, customs.


Mood & Atmosphere

Feeling of the story, is it bright, cheerful, dark, or frightening.

CHARACTER
A person or animal who takes part in the story

Often given human characteristics


Two Types

PROTAGONIST

The main character of the story with

all major events having some
importance to this character.

ANTAGONIST

The opposite of

the main character.
Types of Characters
Dynamic Characters Static Characters
A character who changes or A character that does not change
 
grows throughout the story in the story
PLOT
– Sequence of related events in a story
Exposition

The beginning of the story where characters and the setting are revealed.


Rising action

All of the events IN ORDER leading up to the climax


Climax

The highest point of the story, the reader wonders what will happen next . . .

will the conflict be resolved or not.

Falling action

How the climax is resolved


Resolution

Final outcome or untangling of events in the story

How the story ends

Plot Diagram
A plot diagram shows how the main events in a

short story are organized.