Literary Elements Notes

English I
Plot
The sequence of events of a story,
usually related to the solution of a
problem or conflict.
What is it about the stories that we
crave? Millions of people everywhere
love to see heroes struggle to overcome
obstacles. Nobody wants to read a story
where the hero achieves his goal in the
first scene.
Terms associated with plot
Conflict: A struggle between opposing
forces, often in the form of
complications/obstacles that stand
between the hero (protagonist) and
his/her goal
Types of Conflict: Man vs. Man, Man
vs. Nature, Man vs. Self, Man vs.
Society, Man vs. Beliefs
Exposition: The introduction of a
story where the author gives any
background information, a major
character, and/or the setting.
Terms associated with plot (cont.)
Inciting moment: The point at which the
reader is first made aware of the central
conflict (Rising Action begins here)
Climax: The point at which the central
conflict of a story is resolved
The hero either wins or loses.
Denouement (pronounced: day-new-ma): when
the author ties up the loose ends at the end
of the story
Plot diagrams
A plot teepee is a good way to map
the events of the story.
Plot: Devices used by authors
Suspense: a feeling of anxious uncertainty
created by raising questions in the readers
mind
Foreshadowing: hints of whats to come
Flashback: break from current action to
past events
Surprise ending: an unexpected outcome
cliffhanger
Theme
An idea or insight into life revealed
within a story
Man without laws is an animal.
Coming of age is never easy.
Life is a journey toward self-discovery.
Symbol
An object, person, or event that
represents something else that is
usually abstract
The American flag
Types of Symbols
metaphor: A comparison between two
objects using is
The media center is an oasis of calm and quiet.
simile: A comparison between two objects
using like or as
My love is like a red, red rose.
Literary Symbols:
The cat in The Black Cat may represent the
narrators conscience, despair, or alcoholism.
Tone
The authors attitude toward the
characters, situation, and the reader
respectful, sympathetic, challenging,
sarcastic, formal, informal, etc.
Imagery
Mental pictures that the author creates with
words by describing setting, characters
actions, and other details from a text
Mood
The atmosphere of the story, usually
stemming from the details of the setting
dark, depressing, uplifting, joyous, stark,
etc.
Characterization
The process by which an author
introduces and describes the characters
in a story
Methods of Characterization
An author may develop a character by
giving
physical description
relating the inner thoughts and feelings
of a character
using dialogue
giving the opinions of other characters
within the story
Types of Characters
Flat characters: Characters we dont get
to know very well.
minor characters
Round characters: Characters we get to
know well.
We know their fears, fantasies, history, etc.
Static characters: Characters who do not
change within the context of the story
Dynamic characters: Characters who
change, grow, or develop within the context
of the story
Point of View
The perspective from which the story is
told
First Person = When a story is told from
the perspective of one of the characters
in the story
Uses the pronoun I.
Third Person
When a story is told from the
perspective of someone outside the
story looking in.
Third person limited: perspective is
limited to what one character does,
observes, or thinks.
Third person omniscient: the story is
told from the perspective of someone who
knows and sees all
Dramatic point of view
Objective
Story is not told by anyone other than
the author.
Reader is responsible for interpreting
what actions of characters and events
of story mean.
Unreliable narrator
A narrator whose perspective may or
may not be trustworthy for any reason
(maybe the narrator is crazy).
Poes narrators are often insane. Can we
trust them as witnesses?
Setting
Where and when a story takes place.
Sometimes, we must guess the location
or time period of a story from
contextual clues, because the author
does not tell us.
anachronism: a detail of a story that
does not fit the setting
A computer in a Shakespearean tragedy would
be out of place.
Irony
A general name given to literary
techniques that involve surprising,
interesting, or amusing contradictions
3 Types of Irony
Verbal irony: words are used to suggest
the opposite of their usual meaning
Ex: Sara gets a horrendous haircut and
Jason tells her, Your hair looks GREAT!
Types of Irony (cont.)
Dramatic irony: a contradiction between
what a character thinks and what the
audience knows to be true
Ex: Readers know main characters die in
Romeo & Juliet.
Situational Irony: when an event occurs
that directly contradicts the expectations of
the reader.
Ex: Olympic swimmer drowns in bathtub.
 What is Suspense?
The tension and nervous uncertainty that
some stories generate
Keeps you guessing and turning pages
wondering about the outcome
Writers create suspense by withholding key
details or hinting at events to come
(foreshadowing)
Can also create suspense by using vivid
details to draw you into the tension of the
moment