CJ

Study Notes: Plot, Setting, Characters, and Writer's Purpose

Plot Structure

  • Plot: The arrangement of events and actions that make up the story, showing how the narrative unfolds from beginning to end to generate interest, suspense, and surprise.

  • Plot structure components:

    • Exposition

    • Rising Action

    • Climax

    • Falling Action

    • Resolution

  • Purpose of each section (general):

    • Exposition: background information; setting established; characters introduced; conflict introduced or hinted.

    • Rising Action: Protagonist faces challenges; conflicts intensify; events move toward climax; builds suspense.

    • Climax: turning point; determines resolution of conflict; could be life-or-death or tense emotional moment.

    • Falling Action: shows results or consequences of the climax; loose ends start to be tied up; possible twist.

    • Resolution: final outcome; tension is broken; sense of closure (not always positive).

The Different Types of Setting (Overview)

  • Physical Setting: actual place or environment (e.g., city, forest, classroom, spaceship).

  • Temporal (Time) Setting: time period (e.g., past 1800s, present day, future, during war, night, summer).

  • Historical Setting: real historical period influencing the story (e.g., World War II, the Great Depression, the Renaissance).

  • Cultural or Social Setting: values, beliefs, customs, social structures (e.g., strict school, royal kingdom, poor village, modern urban lifestyle).

  • Psychological Setting: emotional/mental environment (e.g., tense, fearful atmosphere; calm, peaceful mood).

Rising Action and Conflicts

  • Rising Action: Protagonist faces one or more challenges; conflicts intensify; events move toward the climax; builds suspense.

  • Types of conflicts:

    • MAN VS. MAN: The protagonist struggles against another character, representing an external struggle between individuals.

    • MAN VS. HIMSELF: The protagonist struggles with an internal conflict, such as a moral dilemma, a difficult decision, or personal demons.

    • MAN VS. SOCIETY: The protagonist is in conflict with societal norms, laws, traditions, or a group.

    • MAN VS. ENVIRONMENT: The protagonist battles against forces of nature, natural disasters, or the challenges posed by their physical surroundings.

Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution (Detailed)

  • Climax: Turning point; determines how the conflict will be resolved; can be life-or-death or a tense emotional moment.

  • Falling Action: Shows results or consequences of the climax; begins to tie up loose ends; may include a twist.

  • Resolution: Final outcome of the conflict; tension resolved; sense of closure even if not positively ending.

Characters & Characterization

  • Character: A textual representation of a human (or other creature).

  • Characterisation: The process by which writers construct, present, and reveal characters’ traits; affects readers’ responses.

Types of Characters

  • Protagonist: The main character whose intentions drive the story.

  • Antagonist: The character or force opposing the protagonist.

  • 2. Personality:

    • Flat character: Minor, remains the same throughout; static.

    • Round character: Major, faces conflicts, shows change or growth; multi-faceted.

  • 3. Development:

    • Dynamic Character: Undergoes important internal change (insight, beliefs, values) during the story.

    • Static Character: Remains essentially the same by the end.

  • Other Types:

    • Stock (Stereotype) Character: Relies on cultural types or stereotypes; instantly recognizable.

    • Confidante: A character to whom the protagonist confides; reveals personality/thoughts; need not be a person.

    • Foil: A character who contrasts with another to highlight traits.

Truths About Characters

  • Some character types are mutually exclusive by definition (e.g., flat vs. round, static vs. dynamic).

  • Characters can be combinations of types (e.g., a foil can be round or flat).

  • Protagonist and antagonist are not inherently good or evil.

Characterization: Direct vs Indirect

  • Characterization is the process of revealing a character’s personality.

  • Direct Characterization: The author explicitly tells the reader about the character.

    • Example: "He's good-looking, he's strong enough to handle the work in the mines, and he can hunt. You can tell by the way the girls whisper about him when he walks by in school that they want him." (Direct)

  • Indirect Characterization: The author shows the character through actions, speech, thoughts, appearance, etc.; requires reader inference.

    • Example: A passage showing a character volunteering and speaking in ways that reveal traits without stating them outright.

Methods of Revealing Character

STEAL- Speech, Thoughts, Effects on Others, Actions, Looks

  • What the character says (Speech)

  • What the character thinks (Thoughts)

  • How others react to the character (Effects on Others)

  • What the character does (Actions)

  • What the character looks like (Looks)

Direct vs Indirect

  • Remember: the difference between direct characterization (TELLING) and indirect characterization (SHOWING).

Author’s Purpose