Elements of Fiction - Terms and Concepts

plot

Answers the question "What Happens?" in a story. It is the (deliberately arranged) sequence of events in a short story or novel.

exposition

First stage of a plot, where the author presents the information about characters or setting that a reader or viewer will need to understand the subsequent action.

rising action

Stage in a story's plot during which the action builds in intensity.

climax

Point of greatest tension or importance, where the decisive action of a play or story takes place.

falling action

Stage in a story's plot during which the intensity of the climax subsides.

resolution

Also called the denouement, this is the final stage in the plot of a drama or work of fiction. Here the action comes to an end, and remaining loose ends are tied up.

protagonist

Principal character of a drama or a work of fiction; the hero.

antagonist

Character who is in conflict with or opposition to the protagonist; the villain. Sometimes a force or situation (war or poverty) rather than a person.

setting

Background against which the action of a work takes place; the historical time, locale, season, time of day, weather, and so on.

tone

Attitude of the speaker or author of a work toward the subject itself or the audience, as determined by the word choice and arrangement of the piece.

mood

Atmosphere created by the elements of a literary work (setting, characterization, imagery, tone, etc.). The feeling that a story arouses for readers.

theme

The central idea or underlying message that an author explores throughout a literary work. It answers the questions, "What is this story really about? What does the story really mean?"

fable

A brief story often featuring personified animals that illustrates a specific moral lesson.

genre

A category of literature characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

genre conventions

Standard elements such as character types, settings, and plot patterns that are typically expected within a specific literary genre.

internal conflict

A character's psychological struggle occurring within their mind regarding emotions, beliefs, or desires.

external conflict

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

archetype

A universal pattern, character, or image that recurs across different cultures and eras in literature.

symbol

A person, place, or object that represents an abstract idea or concept beyond its literal meaning.

moral

A specific lesson about right and wrong that a reader is intended to take away from a story.

didactic literature

Writing that is explicitly intended to instruct the reader or teach a moral, political, or social lesson.

situational irony

A literary device that occurs when the actual outcome of a situation is the exact opposite of what was expected.

dramatic irony

A situation in which the audience or reader possesses knowledge that the characters in the story do not.

verbal irony

A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is actually meant.

1st person perspective

A point of view where the narrator is a character in the story and uses pronouns like "I" or "we."

2nd person perspective

A narrative mode that addresses the audience or another character directly using the pronoun "you."

3rd person limited

A narrative perspective that follows the thoughts and feelings of only one specific character from the outside.

3rd person omniscient

A narrative perspective where an all-knowing narrator describes the internal states and actions of all characters in the story.

foreshadowing

A literary device used by authors to provide hints or clues about events that will occur later in the plot.