Basic Literary Elements
Character:​ a person (or animal) who participates in a story
● ​protagonist:​ the main character in a story, the person we usually most pull for
● antagonist: ​the person/thing/force the protagonist must battle
● character development:​ how a character changes over the course of a story
● dynamic character:​ changes greatly over the course of a story
● static character:​ doesn’t change, despite all he/she faces during story
● round character:​ is well-rounded and we can see many parts of his/her personality
● flat character:​ seems one-dimensional and we know little about him/her
● character motivation:​ the reason’s behind a character’s actions and decisions
Conflict:​ the problems or obstacles the characters in a story face
● person v. person:​ when the conflict is between 2 (or more) people
● person v. self:​ when the character is battling him/herself
● person v. society:​ when the character is battling society’s opinion/expectations
● person v. nature:​ when the character has to fight against an animal or natural force
● person v. fate:​ when the character is battling destiny or a plan preset for him/her
Setting:​ when and where the story is set (time of day/month/season/historical context)
Authors use settings in stories to:
● reflect the feelings of a character
example: A dark, stormy night can be used to show a character’s anger or frustration.
● ​define or explain why certain events happen or a character’s actions
example: If the setting was 1940’s Germany, we may understand why the Jewish
protagonist felt fear.
● ​foreshadow future events
xample: The sun breaking through the sky after a long storm might predict that the
otagonist’s struggles are about to end.
● create conflict, like when a character is out of his/her element
mple: A medieval process travels through time to modern day Los Angeles and feels
used and out of place.
● create a mood of feeling
ple: the setting of a large city creates a busy, impersonal mood. An old mansion in the
at night creates a mysterious and eerie mood.
Theme: ​the central idea or main message​ ​the author wants you to get from the text.
Theme is more than just a topic.
TOPIC
THEME
∗ 1 or 2 words
∗ a short sentence (or 2)
∗ what the text is about
∗ not a question
∗ the subject
∗ says what the author’s opinion is about the topic
∗ universal
Symbol: ​when an object, person, place, or event in a text stands for itself and for an abstract idea
gnificant broken clock could represent how a character is stuck in the past