Elements of Literature Notes
Exposition: The beginning of a story
Setting: Time and Place
Characters:
Major: Round, Dynamic--change
Minor: Flat, Static—no change
Minor:
Characterization: The way an author reveals the special qualities and
personalities of a character in a story, making the character believable.
Direct Characterization: When the author explains directly what a character
is like.
Indirect Characterization (infer): When the reader must infer (or make an
educated guess) what the character is like.
Characters revealed through:
 appearance
 words
 actions
 thoughts/feelings
 other characters comments or reactions
Conflict Definition: A problem or struggle between opposing forces
Conflict #1—Man vs. Man (External Conflict)
Conflict #2—Man vs. Society (External Conflict)
Conflict #3—Man vs. Environment (External Conflict)
Conflict #4—Man vs. Self (Internal Conflict)
Climax:


The key scene in the story—the most tense, exciting, or terrifying moment
Reveals the outcome of the conflict—the point where a decision that will
end the conflict
Resolution: The final part of a story. The conflict is resolved and loose ends
are tied up.
Point of View: The way things are seen
1st person-- the narrator is a character in the story and uses the pronoun I. We know
only what this person knows and sees.
3rd person limited-- the narrator focuses on the thoughts and feelings of only one
character. We observe the action through the eyes of only one of the characters in the
story.
Omniscient--(all-knowing)--the narrator knows everything about the characters and their
problems. This all-knowing narrator can tell us about the past, the present, and the
future of the characters. The narrator can also tell us what the characters are thinking
and what is happening in several places at the same time.
Mood: The feeling or atmosphere in a story
Theme: The lesson learned from a story
Writing Techniques
Foreshadowing
When an author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the
story. Clues as to what will happen next.
Dramatic— The reader or audience knows something the character does not.
Situational— What is expected to happen is the opposite of what occurs.
Irony
Verbal-- The writer says one thing, but means something completely different.