The Elements of Fiction

Plot:
Plot is what happens in a narrative

A mere listing of events, even in the order in which they occur, is not plot

Complete and accurate definition: Plot is a pattern of carefully selected,

causally related events that contains conflict.

Writers of fiction arrange events into many patterns; most common is that
represented by the Freytag pyramid, developed by the German critic Gustav
Freytag in 1863.

Freytag meant this diagram to describe a typical five-act, but may be adapted to
apply to most works of fiction.

Beginning of pattern: unstable situation, a conflict that sets the plot in motion.

The author's exposition: here explains the nature of the conflict.

-Author introduces characters, describes the setting and provides historical

background.

Events. One event may cause another event, which cases the next event.

Each event intensifies the conflict so that the plot rises toward climax.

Climax. Is the most intense event in the narrative?

The rest of the story is -the falling action- less intense events that lead toward
the resolution of the conflict.

Stable situation is the end.

There are two general categories of conflict:

o Internal Conflicts take place within the minds of characters.

o External Conflicts take place between individuals or between
individuals and the world external to individual s.
o A disagreement between two people is an external conflict.
o Protagonist: The main character, but is helpful to think of as
someone who is fighting for something.
o Antagonist: The opponent of the protagonist; usually a person but
can also be a non human force.

Questions about plot:

What is the main conflict? What are the minor conflicts? How are all the
conflicts related? What causes the conflict? Which conflicts are external and
internal? Who is the protagonist? What qualities or values does the author
associate with each side of the conflict? How is the main conflict organized?
Where does the main conflict occur? Why? Is there more than one “main”
climax? How is it resolved? Which conflicts go unresolved? Why?

Thinking on paper about plot:

1. On one side of the page, list the external conflicts of the work. On the other
side list the internal conflicts.

2. List the key conflicts. For each conflict, list the ways in which the conflict
has been resolved, if it has.

3. Describe the turning point or climax. Explain what conflicts are resolved or
unresolved.
4. List the major structural units of the work. Summarize what happens in each
unit.

5. List the qualities of the protagonist and antagonist.

6. List the qualities that make the situation at the beginning unstable. List the
qualities that make the conclusion stable.

7. List the causes of the unstable situations at the beginning and throughout the
work.

Characterization

Characters are the people in narratives, and characterization is the author's

presentation and development of characters.

They may be animals, robots or creatures from the space, but the author gives
them human abilities and human psychological traits.

There are two broad categories of character development:

o Simple (flat): have only 1 or 2 personality traits and are easily

recognizable as stereotypes.
o Complex (round): multiple personality traits and therefore
resemble real people.

Harder to understand and describe than flat characters.

Authors reveal what characters are like in 2 general ways:

o Direct: author simply tells the reader what the character is like.
o Indirect: author shows (not tells) what the character is like
through what they say about one another.

Characters who remain the same throughout a work are called static
characters.
Characters who change during the course of the work are called dynamic
characters.

Epiphany: a sudden revelation of the truth experienced by a character.

Questions about characters:

Are they flat, round, dynamic, or static? Do they change? t\