Learn: Fiction Elements, Plot, Characters, and Literary Analysis: The Scarlet Ibis

ELEMENTS OF FICTION CHARACTERS PLOT

ELEMENTS OF FICTION CHARACTERS PLOT

Fiction

A made-up narrative created from an author's imagination, often featuring invented characters, events, or settings.

Non-fiction

Writing based on real people, events, and facts rather than invented events.

Short Story

A brief work of fiction that usually focuses on a central conflict, a small cast of characters, and a limited series of events.

Parable

A short narrative that teaches a moral or lesson through its characters and events.

Novel

A long work of fiction with developed characters, settings, and a complex plot.

PLOT

PLOT

Plot

The sequence of events in a narrative, usually organized around a central conflict.

Exposition

The beginning of a narrative that introduces the characters, setting, and background information.

Inciting Incident

The event that starts the main conflict and sets the plot in motion.

Rising Actions

The events that build tension and develop the central conflict before the climax.

Climax

The turning point of a narrative, where tension reaches its highest point and the conflict comes to a head.

Falling Actions

The events after the climax that show the consequences of the turning point and move toward the ending.

Resolution

The ending of a narrative, where the central conflict is settled or the outcome becomes clear.

CONFLICT

CONFLICT

Conflict

The struggle between opposing forces that drives the events of a narrative.

Internal Conflict

A struggle within a character's mind or emotions, such as guilt, fear, or a difficult decision.

External Conflict

A struggle between a character and an outside force, such as another character, society, or nature.

READING SKILLS

READING SKILLS

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues that suggest events that will happen later in a narrative.

Inference

A conclusion a reader draws from clues in the text and their own knowledge, even when the author does not state it directly.

Prediction

An educated guess about what may happen next in a narrative based on details already provided.

Strategize

To choose a reading approach or plan that helps you understand and analyze a narrative.

Annotate

To make notes or marks on a text to identify important details, ask questions, and analyze literary techniques.

Summarize

To briefly explain the main events and ideas of a narrative in your own words.

Paraphrase

To restate a passage or idea from a narrative in your own words while keeping its original meaning.

CHARACTERS

CHARACTERS

Characterization

The methods an author uses to develop a character's personality, motives, and traits.

Direct Characterization

When an author directly tells the reader what a character is like.

Indirect Characterization

When an author reveals a character's traits through speech, thoughts, effects on others, actions, and looks.

STEAL stands for...

Speech, Thoughts, Effects on others, Actions, Looks. Each piece is used to interpret a character's personality, feelings, motives, and traits.

Protagonist

The central character whose experiences and goals drive the main narrative.

Antagonist

The character or force that opposes the protagonist and creates obstacles to their goals.

Main Character

A character who plays a central role in the narrative and is important to its major events.

Minor Character

A character who plays a smaller role but may support the plot or help develop the main characters.

Dynamic Character

A character who undergoes a significant internal change in personality, beliefs, or outlook during the narrative.

Static Character

A character who remains essentially the same throughout the narrative.

Round Character

A complex, well-developed character with multiple traits, emotions, and motivations.

Flat Character

A relatively simple character with few developed traits, often serving a specific purpose in the narrative.

POINT OF VIEW

POINT OF VIEW

Point of View

The perspective from which a narrative is told, determined by who is narrating and what they know.

Narrator

The voice or character that tells the story to the reader.

1 Person

First-person point of view, using pronouns such as "I" and "we"; the narrator participates in or experiences the events.

2nd Person

Second-person point of view, using "you" to address the reader as if they are part of the narrative.

3 Person-Limited

Third-person limited point of view, using "he," "she," or "they" while revealing the thoughts and feelings of one character.

3rd Person-Omniscient

Third-person omniscient point of view, where the narrator can reveal the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters.

THE SCARLET IBIS

THE SCARLET IBIS

Literal Language

Language that means exactly what the words say, without figurative or symbolic meaning.

Figurative Language

Language that uses imaginative comparisons or expressions to communicate meanings beyond the literal words.

Symbol

An object, person, place, or event that represents a larger idea or meaning in a narrative.

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO

Gothic Literature

A literary style that creates suspense, fear, or unease through dark settings, mystery, death, isolation, or psychological tension.

Hero-Villain/Anti-Hero

A hero-villain combines heroic and villainous traits; an anti-hero is a protagonist who lacks traditional heroic qualities.

Irony

A contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, or between what is said and what is meant.

Verbal Irony

When a character says something different from or opposite to what they actually mean, often for sarcasm or humor.

Dramatic Irony

When the reader or audience knows something important that one or more characters do not know.

Situational Irony

When the actual outcome of an event is different from what the reader or characters reasonably expect.

Mood

The feeling or atmosphere a narrative creates in the reader, such as suspense, sadness, or excitement.

Tone

The author's or narrator's attitude toward the subject, characters, or events, conveyed through language and style.

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect rather than intended to be taken literally.

THE FLOWERS

THE FLOWERS

Bildungsroman

A coming-of-age narrative that follows a character's growth and development, often from childhood toward maturity.

Motif

A recurring image, idea, object, phrase, or situation that helps develop a narrative's meaning or theme.

The 5 Common Motifs of a Bildungsroman

a. Childlike protagonist; b. The world is grey; c. A loss of innocence; d. An awakening of self; e. Confronting the adult world.

Sensory Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch to help readers imagine a narrative's world.

MARIGOLDS

MARIGOLDS

Anecdote

A short account of a specific incident or experience used to illustrate a point or reveal something about a character.

Flashback

A scene that interrupts the current timeline to show an event that happened earlier.

Diction

An author's deliberate choice of words to establish meaning, style, tone, and characterization.

Connotation

The emotions, associations, or implied meanings connected to a word beyond its literal definition.

Denotation

The literal, dictionary definition of a word, separate from its emotional associations.

Juxtaposition

The placement of contrasting characters, images, ideas, or events near each other to highlight their differences.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that describes one thing as another to suggest a comparison without using "like" or "as."

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two different things using "like" or "as."

Theme

The central message or insight about life or human nature that a narrative develops through its characters and events.