Elements of Fiction (short stories and novels) Senior English

Suspense

________- the quality of a story that makes the reader uncertain about the outcome.

Initial Incident

________- the event that initiates a conflict.

Anticlimax

________- an event or conclusion that is an abrupt shift from the important to the comical or trivial.

Satire

________: the use of irony to ridicule an idea, person, or thing, often with the goal of bringing about change.

Verisimilitude

________- a life- like quality possessed by a story as revealed through its.

indirect reference

Allusion- a direct or ________ to a familiar figure, place, or event from history, literature, mythology, or from the Bible.

dramatic irony

C) ________- the difference between what the audience knows to be true and what a character knows to be true.

Motivation

________ must be realistic for a character to be believable.

climax

The plot or action of a story builds up to a(n) ________ or crisis, then falls to a conclusion or resolution of the conflict.

third person

Objective- (________), the teller is like a roaming video camera, NOT a character in the story.

Juxtaposition

________ involves placing dramatic contrasts side- by- side.

Dialect

________- a form of speech characteristic of a particular geographic region, social class, or a people.

highest interest

C) Climax- the point of ________ and emotion.

Tone

________- the attitude expressed by the author to his material, audience, or both (sarcastic, playful, passionate)

Denouement Conclusion

D) ________- the final unraveling of the plot following the major climax, in which mysteries and misunderstandings are set straight, etc.

Mood

D) ________ or Atmosphere- the emotional coloring of the story.

Antagonist

________- the force opposing the main character in a story; could be a person, thing, nature, etc.

Foil

________- a character whose behaviour, attitudes, or opinions contrast with those of the protagonist.

Crisis

________- a moment of intense conflict leading up to the climax.

Subplot

________- a minor storyline, secondary to the main plot.

Flashback

________- a switch from the present to a past event.

Stereotype

________- a conventional image held about a certain group.

Interpretive fiction

________- stories which have meaningful, usually realistic plots, conflicts, settings, and characters.

Antecedent Action

________- this is significant action that has taken place before the story begins.

SYMBOL something

________ chosen to stand for or represent something else- example: the dove can represent peace, black can represent death.

human behaviour

THEME: the main idea of a story, often expressed as an insight about life in general or about ________.

significant fictional element

Moral- the implied or stated lesson of a story, not to be confused with a more ________- THEME.

clear outcome

Indeterminate Ending- a story outcome in which there is no ________ or result.

Escapist fiction

________- designed to help the reader "escape "the daily cares and problems of reality.

Social Setting

B) ________- includes occupations, beliefs, etc., of the people concerned.

verbal irony

A) ________- the speaker says the opposite of what is meant.

Omniscient

________- (third person)"all knowing, "the story teller sees, hears and knows everything each character sees and hears as well as what they think and feel.

PLOT

________: The events as they happen in a story.

Vicarious experience

________- the feeling reader has when emotionally or mentally involved in a story.

Style

________: the individual way in which an author expresses his or her story.

POINT OF VIEW

________: through whose eyes the events of the story are seen.

Motivation

________- the conscious or unconscious need, drive or incentive that causes a character to behave in a certain way.

Motivation

________: the circumstances, reasons, or feeling that cause a character to do what he or she does in a story.

Escapist fiction

designed to help the reader "escape" the daily cares and problems of reality

Interpretive fiction

stories which have meaningful, usually realistic plots, conflicts, settings, and characters

PLOT

The events as they happen in a story

a) Introduction

catches the reader's interest, introduces the setting and the characters, includes the initial incident

b) Rising Action

the conflict develops, or becomes more complicated

c) Climax

the point of highest interest and emotion

d) Denouement/Conclusion

the final unraveling of the plot following the major climax, in which mysteries and misunderstandings are set straight, etc

Antecedent Action

this is significant action that has taken place before the story begins

Anticlimax

an event or conclusion that is an abrupt shift from the important to the comical or trivial

Crisis

a moment of intense conflict leading up to the climax

Dilemma

a choice between two equally undesirable courses of action

Indeterminate Ending

a story outcome in which there is no clear outcome or result

Foreshadowing

an indication of something that may happen later in the story

Flashback

a switch from the present to a past event

Initial Incident

the event that initiates a conflict

Subplot

a minor storyline, secondary to the main plot

Suspense

the quality of a story that makes the reader uncertain about the outcome

SETTING

The background against which the action takes place

a) Geographical Location

place (Surrey, Sahara Desert,)

b) Social Setting

includes occupations, beliefs, etc., of the people concerned

c) Time

century, year, season; time of day (also called "chronological setting")

d) Mood or Atmosphere

the emotional coloring of the story

Example

haunting, spooky, peaceful, suspenseful,

Protagonist

the main character in the story

Antagonist

the force opposing the main character in a story; could be a person, thing, nature, etc

Foil

a character whose behaviour, attitudes, or opinions contrast with those of the protagonist

Stereotype

a conventional image held about a certain group

Motivation

the conscious or unconscious need, drive or incentive that causes a character to behave in a certain way

a) Flat

stereotypes, one-dimensional; often these are minor characters, and can be described in one sentence

b) Round

three-dimensional, well-rounded, complex and realistic

d) Dynamic

the character who undergoes a permanent change in his/her personality as a result of the conflict he/she is involved in

POINT OF VIEW

through whose eyes the events of the story are seen

Omniscient

(third person) "all knowing", the story teller sees, hears and knows everything each character sees and hears as well as what they think and feel

Limited Omniscient

(third person) the story teller sees and hears everything through one of the characters in the story

Objective

(third person), the teller is like a roaming video camera, NOT a character in the story

V. IRONY

essentially a difference or a contrast

a) verbal irony

the speaker says the opposite of what is meant

Example

"Oh goody

b) situational irony

a difference between what happens and what would be expected to happen

Example

the son of a police chief dedicated to abolishing the drug trade ends up arrested for drug-dealing

Example

In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet is sleeping, but Romeo thinks she is dead

THEME

the main idea of a story, often expressed as an insight about life in general or about human behaviour

Note that not all literary works have a theme

the purpose of a ghost story, for example, may be simply to frighten the reader

allusion

a direct or indirect reference to a familiar figure, place, or event from history, literature, mythology, or from the Bible

dialect

a form of speech characteristic of a particular geographic region, social class, or a people

dialogue

a conversation including two or more characters in a story

epiphany

a moment of significant realization which happens to the main character, usually at the end of a story

tone

the attitude expressed by the author to his material, audience, or both (sarcastic, playful, passionate)

verisimilitude

a life-like quality possessed by a story as revealed through its

vicarious experience

the feeling reader has when emotionally or mentally involved in a story

Diction

the choice of words used by an author

Motivation

the circumstances, reasons, or feeling that cause a character to do what he or she does in a story

Satire

the use of irony to ridicule an idea, person, or thing, often with the goal of bringing about change

Stream of consciousness

a style of writing in which the thoughts and feeling of a character are written in a natural way, without logic or interruption

Style

the individual way in which an author expresses his or her story