Literary Elements

Literary Elements Mrs. Fries 6th Grade Reading Literary Elements • • • • • Character Setting Plot Theme Point of View Character       When we look back at movies and books we’ve loved, it’s usually the memorable characters in them that first come to mind: the courageous and magical Harry Potter, for example. It’s these characters that hook us and make us want to continue reading. As you consider character think about these questions: What seems real about this character? How are they like other characters I‟ve read? How are they like me, or other people I know? How does the author help me understand the characters? How could I develop characters in my own stories? Character        There are two main types of character: Antagonist and the Protagonist. Protagonist is the main character in the story. (Example Harry Potter) Antagonist is whatever is working against the main character. May take many forms: Man Nature Self Society Character Character Traits Physical Traits: What the character looks like. Example: Brown hair, brown eyes, glasses, lightening shaped scar on forehead, 11 years old. Personality Traits: describe the characters personality. Example: adventurous, brave, good friend, great imagination, magical. Character   How a character is revealed: Things the character says: “Don‟t worry, I‟ll save you!” Things the character does: “He dashed across the burning field to save the princess.” Things that the character thinks or feels: „loneliness swept over him‟ How other characters respond to the main character. “The horse backed away sensing the intruder.” Author tells us directly: The soldier was brave and fierce.     Setting • Setting is the time and place in which story events happen. • Example Times: future, during WWII, 30 years ago, present day… • Example Places: New York City, a small farm, Germany, outer space… • How setting is developed Setting The author may not always come right out and tell you the time and setting. You need to look for clues that tell you when or where the story is taking place. What do you see, hear, touch , smell, or taste. Example. See: People swimming, boats anchored offshore, kids’ sandcastles Hear: seagulls crying, a lifeguard’s whistle, waves breaking Touch: hot sun, gritty sand, refreshing water Smell/taste: salty air, sunscreen lotion Where: The seashore When: a warm summer day Plot  Plot is the series of related events that happen in a story. There are five basic parts of plot development: 1. Opening/Introduction 2. Rising Action: (conflict & Complications) 3. Climax 4. Falling Action 5. Resolution Plot  Opening/Introduction This is the beginning of the story where the characters and setting are introduced. Lets us know what they are thinking as the story begins. Plot Rising Action The rising action contains the conflict and complications. Conflict: the problem that arises between the protagonist (main character) and the antagonist (opposing force). Conflict can come in many forms: Man vs. Man Harry Potter against Voldemort Man vs. Nature Brian against survival in the wilderness Man vs. Self Claudia against herself wanting to be different Man vs. Society Cassie against Prejudices in the South  Complications: the assorted actions that the character takes to try to resolve the conflict. Plot  Climax In books and short stories characters face their conflicts and grapple with related complications as they seek to settle the conflict. This final settlement of the conflict comes in the climax of the story, usually an event in which the characters have to make a BIG DECISION. Plot  Resolution After the climax comes the resolution. This is the big finale in which all of the characters adapt to the solution. The resolution confirms how all the main characters feel and what they do now that the conflict has been resolved. Theme     The major idea or ideas that a writer presents about life in general through the vehicle of the story. In most stories the author doesn’t just announce the theme in words. The reader has to discover it. Literary themes are stated in sentences, not in one word or phrase. Example: The Sign of The Beaver or My Side of The Mountain Theme: By living with nature, we learn a lot about the world and about ourselves. Point of View     A good story is usually told from one standpoint. Following are the most common points of view: Omniscient Point of View: (All-Knowing) The narrator, or storyteller, knows what all the characters are thinking and doing. First Person Point of View: the narrator is a character in the story and uses I, me, and so on to refer to herself or himself. Readers only know what the narrator does, thinks, observes, and feels. Third Person Limited Point of View: The narrator is outside the story, but tells the story chiefly from the main character’s point of view. The main character is the one whose actions, thoughts, and feelings the reader is aware of.