PLOT: means the main happening (action, event, occurrence, incident) which carries the story forward. A short story has only one plot; a novel may have several.

 

Basic Parts

Introduction:
- arouses interest
- gives the setting
- gives any necessary background information
- introduces characters
- suggests theme

 

Rising Action:
- major portion of the plot
- a succession of steps each presenting an obstacle or problem
- leads to a climax

 

Conflict:
- clash of opposing persons, forces, ideas or emotions
- three basic types:

1. man against man
2. man against himself
3. man against environment

 

Climax:
- culmination of rising action
- highest point of interest in the story
- where the character’s fortunes change for the better or for the worse

 

Denouement:
- the unraveling of thoughts
- explains what really happened; shows the effect of the climax

 

Conclusion:
- ties up loose ends

 

CHARACTERIZATION

 

Methods of Characterization 

An author implicitly (indirectly) reveals a character’s personality and traits by describing his/her:

• physical appearance

• speech (both what is said and how)

• actions

• inner thoughts and feelings

• his/her effect on other characters (what they say or how they act) 

or the author can just tell the reader what to think about the character (Direct or Explicit). 

 

Types of Character

Flat Character – only one or two traits are developed 

Round Character – is complex and many-sided

Stock Character – the stereotyped figure who has occurred so often in fiction he/she is immediately known 

Static Character – is the same sort of person at the end of the story as he was at the beginning

Developing/Dynamic Character – undergoes permanent change in some aspect of his character, personality, or outlook 

Character Foils – characters who contrast so strongly so that the traits of each are emphasized by contrast with those of the other 

Protagonist – the central character, who is trying to accomplish something 

Antagonist – the force opposing the protagonist

 

Three Principles of Convincing Characterization

• A character must be consistent in his/her behavior unless there is a valid reason for change.

• Characters must be clearly motivated: we must be able to understand the reasons for what they do.

• Characters must be plausible or lifelike.

 

The mood/atmosphere is the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage.

 

Detecting the tone of a story is similar to picking up on tone of voice. It's not what is being said or done — it's a matter of how. Tone is how an author expresses his or her attitude about a topic (often through the use of adjectives).

 

Satire is a literary technique of writing which principally ridicules its subject (individuals, organizations, states) often as an intended means of provoking change.

 

Parody is a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it.

 

Theme is the underlying comment or idea about life.
• generalization about life stated or implied by the author
• not what happens in the story but what we learn from what happens
• don’t confuse with moral - theme does not pass judgment
• not all stories have a theme

 

Theme statement is a single sentence that attempts to explain the story's truth (what the story worries about). Such a sentence follows these criteria:

• Is a generalization about life or human nature using universal terms

• Accounts for all the details of the story (doesn't look at only one part)

• Avoids clichés or plot summaries

• May recognize the significance of the story's title or special symbols

 

IRONY is the difference between appearance and reality.

 

Dramatic Irony: The reader knows more about the events of a story than a character within it. Characters’ beliefs become ironic because they are very different from reality, and their intentions are likewise different from the outcome their actions will have. Video.

 

Verbal Irony: The words of a character have a hidden meaning as well as an apparent one. Video.

 

Situational Irony: There is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. Video.

 

Structural Irony: A double level of meaning is continued throughout a work by means of a participant in the story whose judgment is impaired by prejudice, personal interests or limited knowledge.

 

Style: Style in literature is the literary element that describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text. Style describes how the author describes events, objects, and ideas.