E ements

F CTION
Presented by:
Rachelyn P. Montejo
Elements of fiction:
I.PLOT
II.SETTING
III.CHARACTERS
IV.POINT OF VIEW
 I. PLOT
Plot is the author’s arrangement of events
in the story. It has a beginning, middle
and an end. More specifically, the plot
follows the Freytag pyramid:
Example:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- The plot of the story begins when Harry Potter
learns that Professor Snape is after the Sorcerer’s
Stone. The professor lets loose a troll, who
nearly kills Harry and his friends. In addition,
Harry finds out that Hagrid let out the secret of
the giant dog which means that Snape can now
reach the Sorcerer’s Stone.
 Narrative Stages
• Exposition: The start of the story, the situation before
the action starts
• Rising Action: The series of conflicts and crisis in the
story that lead to the climax
• Climax / Turning Point: The most intense moment –
either mentally or in action – the reader wonders what
will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
• Falling Action: The events and complications begin to
resolve themselves. (The events between the climax and
the resolution)
• Denouement (Resolution): The conclusion, the
untangling of events in the story
 Types of Plot
Events in a story can be presented in a
variety of orders:
• The chronological order: some
stories begin with what happens
first, following the regular time
development of events to end.
• Some stories begin at the end then
lead up to why and how things
developed as they did.
• Some stories begin in the middle of
things.
 Flashback

This is a technique in which the author

interrupts the plot of the story to tell an
incident of an earlier time (goes back in
time; like giving the reader a memory).
 Foreshadowing

This is a writers’ technique in

which the author provides clues
or hints as to what is going to
happen later in the story.
 Conflict

Conflict is the struggle between

two forces in a story. The plot
revolves around this conflict.
 Types of Conflict

• Physical Conflict: Between a character and

nature or the physical world.
• Social Conflict: Between characters or
between the character and his or her society.
• Internal Conflict (Psychological Conflict):
Between different attitudes of beliefs in the
character’s mind.
 Setting
The setting is the place and time of
the story. It also includes the
circumstances of the story, like the
weather conditions, the social class,
etc.
William Faulkner’s
“ A Rose for Emily
- The
setting is a
decaying Southern
manor in a decaying
Southern town.

J.K. Rowling’s “Harry

Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone
- The setting started in a
conventional muggle
world and transitioned
into the magical world of
Hogwarts.
 Characters
The people (or animals, things,
etc. presented as people) in a
literary work.
 Types Of Characters

Characters can be classified as:

Major and minor characters
•Round and Flat characters
•Dynamic and Static characters
•Protagonist and Antagonist
ROUND AND FLAT CHARACTERS
•Round Characters are complex convincing,
and true to life characters. They are
described in more detail, having many
different and sometimes even contradictory
personality traits.
ex. Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger,
Ginny Weasley
•Flat Characters are stereotyped, shallow,
and often symbolic. They have only one or
two personality traits.
•Ex. Mr. Filch, the caretaker of Hogwart’s
School of witchcraft and wizardly
DYNAMIC AND STATIC CHARACTERS:
•Dynamic Characters undergo some
type of change or development in the
story, often because of something that
happens to them.
ex. Hamlet in Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter
Series
•Static Characters do not change in the
course of the story.
Ex. Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter
Series
PROTAGONIST AND ANTAGONIST:
•Protagonist: The main character in a
literary work.

• Antagonist: The character who

opposes the protagonist
 Point Of View

The angle or perspective from which the story is

told (Who tells the story)
• The point of view is divided into two main types:
- First person point of view
- Third person point of view
 First Person Point of View

 The story is told from the viewpoint of

one of the characters, using the first
person pronoun “I”.
 The first person narrator can either
be participant or nonparticipant in the
action
Example:
“ I could picture it. I
have a habit of
imagining
conversations
between my friends.
We went out to the
Café Napolitain to
have an aperitif and
watch the evening
crowd on the
Boulevard.”
 Third Person Point of View

The story is told using a narrator who uses third person

pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “his”, “her”, “they” etc.
Third Person Point of View can be broken up into two
different types:
• Omniscient
• Limited Omniscient
Example:
A Rose for Emily
“They rose when she entered-
-a small, fat woman in black,
with a thin gold chain
descending to her waist and
vanishing into her belt,
leaning on an ebony cane
with a tarnished gold head.
Her skeleton was small and
spare; perhaps that was why
what would have been merely
plumpness in another was
obesity in her. “
Thank you. 