Elements of Fiction

ELEMENTS OF
FICTION
Authors Purpose
Setting
Character
Plot
Point of View
Symbolism
Style
Mood/Tone
Theme
 Authors Purpose

An authors reason for creating a particular work is called the

authors purpose. Sometimes the author will state his or her
purpose up front. Other times youll need to make inferences
(reasonable guesses) about the authors 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 youre really talking about
is the storys setting.
Understanding a storys
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 characters 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 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
The phrase point of view refers to the person or
persons telling the story or relating the ideas.
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)
The first person narrators perspective is limited.
In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits. Im in
the third check-out slot, with my back to the door, so I dont see
them until theyre over by the bread.
A&P
John Updike

Problems with First Person

What are some
of the First person narrators interject
limitations of their own personal view of the
the first world. They may have a
person severely limited perspective.
narrator?
 Third Person

Another common point of view is the

third person (he, she, it, or they). There
are three basic approaches to using this
perspective:

Omniscient
Limited Omniscient
Objective
Omniscient Point of View
The third person omniscient narrator
understands the full meaning of the
action(s). This all-knowing narrator
even understands the thoughts and
feelings of the characters.

In a house, in a suburb, in a city, there were

a man and his wife who loved each other very
much [].

Nadine Gordimer, Once Upon a Time

 Limited Omniscient
A narrator who knows the thoughts,
feelings and motivations of one character
is said to have limited omniscience.

They were the same woods, she thought sleepily as they drove
through the early morning darkness deep and immense,
covered with yesterdays snowfall, which had frozen
overnight.

Doe Season by David Michael Kaplan

Objective Point of View
Often called the dramatic
viewpoint, objective narrators
tell the story without examining
the thoughts or feelings of the
characters.
The objective point of view
relates dialogue and reports
action and events without adding
interpretations.
Objective Point of View
A girl and a soldier
went by in the
street. The street
light shone on the
brass number on
his collar. The girl
wore no head
covering and
hurried beside
him.
A Clean, Well-Lighted
Place
E. Hemingway
 Symbolism
A symbol is something concretesuch as
a person, place, or objectthat signifies
something more than just itself,
something abstract, such as a concept or
an idea.
Some symbols you will probably be
familiar with already.

A heart symbolizes
___________________
A dove symbolizes
___________________
 Style
Style is the way writers express their
ideas. Its 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 writers 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 works title, key scenes,
characters, symbols, and plot events.
 The following elements can
provide clues about the theme:
Title
Setting
Point of View
Characters
Plot and Conflict
Use of symbolism
 Mood or Tone
The mood of a literary
work is the feelings that
a writer wants readers to
have while reading. Its
the atmosphere thats
created. Writers can
choose words, phrases,
and images to create a
whole range of moods
from anger and sadness
to excitement and fear.