2. Introduction
Why should we spend our time on reading
stories?
Enjoyment
Understanding
Picasso
Art is a lie that leads to the truth.
3. Classification
1. Commercial Fiction
Intended solely to entertain
Money making purposes
Take us away from the real world
Help us forget our problems temporarily
Commercial writers are like inventors
Best-sellers
Legal thrillers
Romance novels
4. Classification
2. Literary Fiction
With serious artistic intentions
Broaden, deepen, and sharpen the readers’ awareness of life
Enabling us to understand life’s difficulties
Illuminate some aspects of human life with genuine originality
Literary writers are like explorers
5. Procedure
General procedure for reading stories:
1) read the story the first time simply to enjoy and familiarize yourself with it.
2) read the story second time, more slowly and deliberately, in the attempt to
understand its full artistic significance and achievement. Ask question about
plot and characterization.
With commercial fiction, asking question is irrelevant, but with literary
fiction, we are willing to invest more time and energy.
6. Expectations
Commercial fiction
Fixed expectations
A sympathetic hero or heroine
A defined plot
A happy ending
A general theme or message
7. Expectations
Literary fiction
To expect the unexpected
Unexpected style or angle of vision
May end in an unsettling or even unresolved way
Different from our own habits of perceiving and reading
the world.
Challenging
9. What is Plot?
Plot is the literary element that describes the
structure of a story. It shows the causal
arrangement of events and actions within a
story. In other words, plot is the order of events
in a story.
A plot summary may include what characters say
or think as well as what they do.
10. Plot & Structure
Commercial fiction
Many surprising twists and turns
A culminating and climatic
incident
Keep the reader turning the
pages
Fairly conventional structure
Literary fiction
Complex structure
Convey complex meaning
The significance of action is more
important than the action itself
The significance of subtle
exchange of words
11. Types of Linear Plots
Plots can be told in
Chronological order
Flashback
A flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in
time from the current point in the story.
In medias res (in the middle of things)
when the story starts in the middle of the action without exposition
12. Plot Components
Exposition: the start of the story, the situation before the action
starts
Rising Action: the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that
lead to the climax
Climax: the turning point, the most intense moment—either
mentally or in action
Falling Action: all of the action which follows the climax
Resolution: the conclusion, the tying together of all of the
threads
13.
14. Plot structure: Exposition
Sets the scene
Author introduces the setting and characters
Provides description and background information
15. Plot structure: Rising action
Series of conflicts and crises in the story that lead to the
turning point
16. Plot structure: Climax
Also called the “turning point”
Event that the rising action and central conflict leads up to
Place where plot turns or “changes direction” toward a
resolution
17. Plot Structure: Falling Action
Events that happen as a result of the climax as the
conflict grows closer to being resolved
20. What is conflict?
A clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills. In other words,
conflict is the dramatic struggle between two forces in a
story. Without conflict, there is no plot.
The conflict may be physical, mental, emotional, or moral.
21. Types of Conflict
Character vs Character
Character vs Nature
Character vs Society
Character vs Self
22. Character vs. Character Conflict
This type of conflict finds the main character in conflict
with another character, human or not human.
“The new one is the most beautiful of all; he is so young and
pretty.” And the old swans bowed their heads before him.
Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wing;
for he did not know what to do, he was so happy, and yet not
at all proud. He had been persecuted and despised for his
ugliness, and now he heard them say he was the most
beautiful of all the birds.
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson
23. Character vs. Nature Conflict
This type of conflict finds the main character in conflict
with the forces of nature, which serve as the antagonist.
It´s a Truffula Seed. It´s the last one of all! You´re in charge of
the last of the Truffula Seeds. And Truffula Trees are what
everyone needs. Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give
it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it
from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may
come back.
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
24. Character vs. Society Conflict
This type of conflict has the main character in conflict
with a larger group: a community, society, culture, etc.
“I’m tired of living in a hole,” said Jenny. “Let’s fight for
freedom!” cried Bouncer. “We’ll be soldiers! Rough-riding
Rowdies! I’ll be the general and commander-in-chief!”
The Island of the Skog by Steven Kellogg
25. Character vs. Self Conflict
In this type of conflict, the main character experiences
some kind of inner conflict.
Finally, Sam’s father said, “Go to bed now. But before you
go to sleep, Sam, tell yourself the difference between REAL
and MOONSHINE.”
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness
27. Protagonist
“The leading character or one of the major characters
in a play, film, novel, etc” (hero or heroine)
The Protagonist is usually the main character in a novel
or story that all the action evolves around.
The Protagonist usually expresses love and fear for
someone, or something. Fear is a common emotion, and
the characters must be as ‘real’ as possible.
28. Antagonist
“A person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or
something; an adversary”
The antagonist is someone who opposes, competes or
fights with the main character.
They cause problems for the protagonist throughout the
film.
30. What is suspense?
That quality of a literary work that makes the reader or
audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of
events.
Suspense makes the reader ask "What will happen next?“.
Suspense is greatest when it focuses attention on a sympathetic
character.
Thus, the most familiar kind of suspense involves a character
hanging from the ledge of a tall building, or tied to railroad tracks
as a train approaches.
31. Characterization
Direct presentation
They tell us straight out, by exposition or analysis, what the
characters are like, or they have another character in the story to
describe them.
Indirect presentation
Authors show us the characters through their actions, we
determine what they are like by what they say or do.
32. Types of Characters
• Flat characters
• Have only one or two predominant traits; they can be summed up in a sentence or
two.
• Round characters
• Are complex and many-sided. They have a three-dimensional quality of real people.
• Static characters
• Remains essentially the same person from the beginning of the story to the end.
• Dynamic characters (Developing)
• Undergo some changes in character and personality. The change may be a large or a small
one; may be positive or negative.
33. Theme
Life lesson, meaning, moral, or message about life or human
nature that is communicated by a literary work.
The main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. In other
words, theme is what the story teaches readers.
Themes may be major or minor.
A major theme is an idea the author returns to time and again. It
becomes one of the most important ideas in the story.
Minor themes are ideas that may appear from time to time.
34. Ways to Express a Theme
1. Themes are expressed and emphasized by the way the
author makes us feel.. By sharing feelings of the main
character you also share the ideas that go through his mind.
2. Themes are presented in thoughts and conversations.
Authors put words in their character’s mouths only for good
reasons. One of these is to develop a story’s themes. Look
for thoughts that are repeated throughout the story.
35. Ways to Express a Theme
3. Themes are suggested through the characters. The main character
usually illustrates the most important theme of the story. A good way to
get at this theme is to ask yourself the question, what does the main
character learn in the course of the story?
4. The actions or events in the story are used to suggest theme. People
naturally express ideas and feelings through their actions. One thing
authors think about is what an action will "say". In other words, how will
the action express an idea or theme?
36. Theme
A theme is not a word, it is a sentence.
You don’t have to agree with the theme to identify it.
Examples
Money can’t buy happiness.
Don’t judge people based on the surface.
It is better to die free than live under tyranny.
Themes are not explicit (clearly stated).
Themes are implied.
Themes are bigger than the story.
37. Point of View (POV)
Every story has a point of view. To
determine the story’s point of view, you
need to determine the narrator of the
story.
Dialogue = when characters speak.
Narration = when the narrator speaks.
38. Types of POV
Omniscient
The story is told in the third person by a narrator whose
knowledge and prerogatives are unlimited.
Such narrators are free to go wherever they wish, enter the
minds and hearts of characters and tell us what they thinking or
feeling.
They know all.
39. Types of POV
Third person limited (Major & Minor)
The story is told in the third person, but from the viewpoint of
one character in the story. They tell us what these characters see
and hear and what they feel and think. They possibly interpret
the characters’ thoughts and behavior.
40. Types of POV
First person (Major & Minor)
The author disappears into one of the characters, who tells the
story in the first person.
The first person point of view shares the limitations of the third
person limited.
41. Types of POV
Objective
The narrator disappears into a kind of roving sound camera. This
camera can go anywhere but can record only what is seen and
heard.
It cannot comment, interpret, or enter a character’s mind.
With this point of with (sometimes called dramatic point of view)
readers are placed in the position of spectators at a movie or
play.