The Elements of
Literature
Setting
The setting is the time and location where the story
takes place. Setting includes the following:
•The geographical location (ex. Texas,
London, Cairo, Vancouver)
•The time period (ex. 1865, during
WWII, today)
•The socio-economic characteristics of
the location (ex. Wealthy suburbs,
depression dustbowl)
•The specific building, room, and so forth
(ex. A prep school, a log cabin, a bus, a
military base, room 204)
Setting
Can be used to tell readers about the characters:
That evening T.J. smelled the air,
his nostrils dilating with the odor of the
earth under his feet. “It’s spring,” he said,
and there was a gladness rising in his
voice that filled us all with the same feeling.
“It’s mighty late for it, but it’s spring”… We were all
sniffing at the air, too, trying to smell it the way T.J. did,
and I can still remember the sweet odor of the earth under
our feet. It was the first time in my life that spring and
spring earth had meant anything to me.
“Antaeus” by Borden Deal
Setting
Can be used to set the atmosphere for the story:
“During the whole of a dull, dark,
and soundless day in the autumn of
the year, when the clouds hung
oppressively low in the heavens, I
had been passing alone, on
horseback, through a singularly
dreary tract of country.”
“The Fall of the House of
Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe
Characters
The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as
people) appearing in a literary work.
•Round Characters are convincing, true to life. Have many
different and sometimes even contradictory personality traits.
•Dynamic Characters undergo some type of change or
development in story, often because of something that happens
to them.
•Flat Characters are stereotyped, shallow, and often symbolic.
Have only one or two personality traits.
•Static Characters do not change in the course of the story.
Characters
•Protagonist (hero)
The main character in a literary
work (for instance, Cinderella or
Snow White in the fairy tales named
for their characters)
•Antagonist (villain)
The character who opposes the
protagonist (for instance, the
wicked stepmothers in the fairy
tales.)
Methods of Characterization
Direct Characterization
The author develops the personality of a character
by direct statements.
“Jack had been in basic training
in Florida and Dottie was there
on vacation with her parents.
They’d met on the beach and
struck up a conversation. Dottie
was the talker, the outgoing
one – the extrovert. Jack was too shy around girls to say
much at all.”
“Fulough – 1944” by Harry Mazer
Methods of Characterization
Indirect Characterization
Revealing a character’s personality through…
•The character’s thoughts, words,
and actions
•The comments of other characters
•The character’s physical appearance
Indirect Characterization Through Thoughts
“Moonbeam closed his eyes and pretended to sleep the rest
of the way to Bamfield. He couldn’t believe what he had
gotten himself into. How had this happened? He’d never
held a gun in his life, much less
gone hunting for animals.”
“Moonbeam Dawson and
The Killer Bear” by Jean Okimoto
Indirect Characterization Through Words
“It was Kenny Griffen, smiling
complacently. ‘Miss Bird sent me
after you ‘cause you been gone
six years. You’re in trouble… yer
constipated!’ Kenny chortled
gleefully. ‘Wait’ll I tell Caaathy!”
“Here There Be Tygers” by
Stephen King
Indirect Characterization Through Actions
“The boy held his breath; he wondered whether his father
would hear his heart beating… Through a crack in the
counter he could see his father where he stood, one
hand held to his
high stiff collar…”
“I Spy” by
Graham
Greene
Indirect Characterization Through Appearance
“Miss Kinney was young and blonde and bouncy and had a
boyfriend who picked her up after school in a blue
Camero.”
“Here There Be
Tygers” by
Stephen King
Plot
Plot is the literary element that describes the
structure of a story. It shows arrangement of
events and actions within a story.
This Plot Line is also known as
Freytag’s Pyramid
Plot Components
Climax: the turning point, the
most intense moment-either
mentally or in the action.
Rising Action: the series of
conflicts and crisis in the story
that lead to the climax.
Falling Action: all of the
action which follows the
climax.
Exposition: the start of the
story, the situation before the
action starts.
Resolution: the
conclusion, the tying
together of all the threads.
Plot: Conflict
Conflict is the dramatic struggle between two
forces in a story. Without conflict, there is no
plot.
Plot:
Types of Conflict
Interpersonal Conflict (External):
Man vs Man
Man vs Nature
Man vs Society
Intrapersonal Conflict (Internal):
Man vs Self
Point of View
The perspective from which the story is told.
•Who is telling the story?
(ex. Is it a player on the home
team or someone watching the
game?)
•How do we know what is
happening?
(ex. Does a character tell us?)
Omniscient Point of View
The author is telling the story directly.
“Myop carried a short, knobby stick. She struck out at random
at chickens she liked, and worked out the beat of a song on
the fence around the
pigpen. She felt light and good
in the warm sun. She was ten,
and nothing existed for her but
her song, the stick clutched in
her dark brown hand, and the
tat-de-ta-ta-ta of accompaniment.”
“The Flowers”
by Alice Walker
Limited Omniscient Point of View
Third person, told from the viewpoint of a
character in the story.
“They all laughed, and while they were laughing, the quiet
boy moved his bare foot on the sidewalk and merely touched,
brushed against a number of red ants scurrying about on the
sidewalk. Secretly, his eyes
shining, while his parents
chatted with the old man, he
saw the ants hesitate, quiver,
and lie still on the cement. He
sensed they were cold now.”
“Fever Dream”
by Ray Bardbury
First Person Point of View
Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters,
using the first person pronoun “I”.
“The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I
best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed
revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will
not supposed, however, that I give utterance to a threat”
“The Cask of Amontillado”
by Edgar Allan Poe
Symbolism
A symbol represents an idea, quality, or concept
larger than itself.
A journey can
symbolize life.
A lion can be a
symbol of
courage.
Water may
represent
cleanliness and
renewal.
A red rose can
represent love.
Irony
When the opposite of the expected outcome
results.
“Mr. Play-It-Safe was afraid to fly, He
packed his suitcase and kissed his kids
good-bye, He waited his whole life to take
that flight, And as the plane crashed down
he thought, 'Well isn't this nice...‘ ”
“Ironic” by Alanis Morisette
Irony
Verbal Irony
The contrast between what is said and what is
actually meant.
Situational Irony
This refers to a happening that is the opposite of
what is expected or intended.
Dramatic Irony
This occurs when the audience or reader knows
more than the characters know.
Mood
The climate of feeling in a literary work. The choice of setting,
objects, details, images, and words all contribute towards creating
a specific mood. For example, an author may create a mood of
mystery around a character or setting but may treat that
character or setting in an ironic, serious, or humorous tone
Tone
The author’s attitude, stated or implied, toward a subject. Some
possible attitudes are pessimism, optimism, earnestness,
seriousness, bitterness, humorous, and joyful. An author’s tone
can be revealed through choice of words and details.
Foreshadow
The use of hints or clues to suggest what
will happen later in the story. Writers use
foreshadowing to build their reader’s
expectations and to create suspense.
Example: A weapon found in a drawer early
in a story might foreshadow a future crime
in the story
Similie
A figure of speech which involves a direct comparison
between two unlike things, usually with the words like
or as.
Ex. The classroom was as cold as a freezer
Metaphor
A figure of speech which involves an implied
comparison between two relatively unlike
things (using a form of be). The
comparison is not announced by like or as.
Ex. The classroom was a freezer
Personification
When humanlike characteristics are given to
inanimate objects.
The breeze was whistling.
The sun kissed my cheek.
Theme
•Theme is the central idea or central message of the
story. It usually contains some insight into the human
condition – telling something about humans and life.
•The theme can be stated directly or implied by the
events and actions in the story.