Elements of Fiction

#1 Elements of Fiction

📖 Narration Types

First‑Person

Narrator uses I, me, we, us.
Often (but not always) the main character.

“My name is Christopher John Francis Boone. I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057.” – Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night‑time

Third‑Person – narrator uses he, she, they, them and is usually outside the story.

Type	Knowledge Scope	Example
Omniscient	Knows thoughts of all characters; moves freely through time.	“They accepted the pleasures of morning… hope was not necessary and therefore forgotten.” – William Golding, Lord of the Flies
Limited Omniscient	Knows thoughts of only one character.	“When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed… the Dursley’s were his only family.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter
Objective	Reports actions, dialogue, and setting only; no thoughts.	“The woman brought two glasses of beer… The girl was looking off at the line of hills.” – Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants

Second‑Person – rare; uses you to address the reader as a character.

“You are amongst them, of course. Your curiosity got the better of you… waiting to see for yourself exactly what kind of circus only opens once the sun sets.” – Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus

👤 Characterization

Character – any person, animal, or object that drives the story forward.

Protagonist: main character who makes key decisions.
Antagonist: opposes the protagonist.

Direct vs. Indirect Characterization

Method	How It Works	Example
Direct	Author explicitly describes traits.	“She was tall and mean.”
Indirect	Traits inferred from actions, dialogue, or other characters’ comments.	The young woman offered her seat to the old woman on the bus. → reader infers she is kind.

🌍 Setting & Plot

Setting – establishes time, place, and cultural background, creating an atmosphere that evokes emotion.

Key questions:

What details of time and place create a specific feeling?
How does the setting shape the overall understanding of the work?

Plot – the arrangement of events in a story.

Exposition: background info (characters, setting).
Rising Action: series of events building tension.
Climax: turning point, highest intensity.
Falling Action: events after the climax, leading toward resolution.
Resolution: conflicts are resolved; story closes.

The diagram visualizes the narrative arc, labeling each part of the plot and showing how they connect from exposition to resolution.

🎭 Theme

Theme – the underlying message or insight about life that readers can apply beyond the text.

Themes are universal, addressing the human condition.
A work can contain multiple themes.
A theme is not a plot summary and never a single word.

Determining Theme

Consider these four lenses while annotating:

Curiosities – puzzling or ambiguous elements.
Repetitions – recurring images, phrases, or structures.
Opposites – contrasts such as light/dark or good/evil.
Links – allusions to art, history, literature, or religion.

⚔ Types of Conflict

Conflict – a struggle faced by the protagonist; can be internal or external and must be resolved by the story’s end.

Conflict Type	Description	Example
Individual vs. Self	Internal battle between opposing emotions, desires, or morals.	Choosing between honesty and self‑preservation.
Individual vs. Individual	External clash with another character.	Protagonist vs. antagonist.
Individual vs. Nature	External struggle against natural forces.	Surviving a storm or tsunami.
Individual vs. Society	External conflict with cultural norms or expectations.	Protagonist challenges societal rules.

Most stories feature multiple conflict types.
Protagonists often experience both an internal arc and an external arc simultaneously.