ELEMENTS OF FICTION
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
- Many of us love literature, the complexity of it, the messages we
get from it. But often it can be confusing and overwhelming, so if we
know the tools that writers use—the elements of fiction—we can break
down a piece of fiction, analyze it, to understand and enjoy it more
fully.
The following definitions come from Bedford St. Martin’s. If you want more from their website, please visit: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/elements.asp (Links to an external site.)
The Formal Elements of Fiction
In the same way that a painter uses shape, color, perspective, and
other aspects of visual art to create a painting, a fiction writer uses
character, setting, plot, point of view, theme, and various kinds of
symbolism and language to create artistic effect in fiction. These
aspects of fiction are known as the formal elements.
An understanding of
the formal elements will enhance the reader’s appreciation of any piece
of fiction, as well as his or her ability to share perceptions with
others.
These elements provide a basic vocabulary and set of critical
tools that can be used in conjunction with many other critical
approaches.
DEFINITION OF PLOT:
Plot refers to the series of events that give a story its meaning and effect. In most stories, these events arise out of conflict
experienced by the main character. The conflict may come from something
external, like a dragon or an overbearing mother, or it may stem from
an internal issue, such as jealousy, loss of identity, or
overconfidence. As the character makes choices and tries to resolve the
problem, the story's action is shaped and plot is generated. In some
stories, the author structures the entire plot chronologically, with the
first event followed by the second, third, and so on, like beads on a
string. However, many other stories are told with flashback techniques
in which plot events from earlier times interrupt the story's "current"
events.
All stories are unique, and in one sense there are as
many plots as there are stories. In one general view of plot,
however—and one that describes many works of fiction—the story begins
with rising action as the character experiences conflict through a series of plot complications that entangle him or her more deeply in the problem. This conflict reaches a climax, after which the conflict is resolved, and the falling action
leads quickly to the story's end. Things have generally changed at the
end of a story, either in the character or the situation; drama
subsides, and a new status quo is achieved. It is often instructive to
apply this three-part structure even to stories that don't seem to fit
the pattern neatly.
conflict: The basic tension, predicament, or challenge that propels a story's plot
complications: Plot events that plunge the protagonist further into conflict
rising action: The part of a plot in which the drama intensifies, rising toward the climax
climax: The plot's most dramatic and revealing moment, usually the turning point of the story
falling action: The part of the plot after the climax, when the drama subsides and the conflict is resolved
DEFINITION OF CHARACTER:
In fiction, character refers to a textual representation of a human
being (or occasionally another creature). Most fiction writers agree
that character development is the key element in a story's creation, and
in most pieces of fiction a close identification with the characters is
crucial to understanding the story. The story's protagonist is the central agent in generating its plot, and this individual can embody the story's theme. Characters can be either round or flat,
depending on their level of development and the extent to which they
change. Mrs. Mallard, in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” though
developed in relatively few words, is a round character because she
shows complex feelings toward her husband, and her character develops
when she envisions the freedom of being widowed. Authors achieve characterization
with a variety of techniques: by using the narrative voice to describe
the character, by showing the actions of the character and of those
reacting to her, by revealing the thoughts or dialogue of the character,
or by showing the thoughts and dialogue of others in relation to the
character.
protagonist: A story’s main character (see also antagonist)
antagonist: The character or force in conflict with the protagonist
round character: A complex, fully developed character, often prone to change
flat character: A one-dimensional character, typically not central to the story
characterization: The process by which an author presents and develops a fictional character
DEFINITION OF THEME (We have covered this one!):
Theme is the meaning or concept we are left with after reading a
piece of fiction. Theme is an answer to the question, "What did you
learn from this?" In some cases a story's theme is a prominent element
and somewhat unmistakable. It would be difficult to read Kate Chopin's
"The Story of an Hour" without understanding that the institution of
nineteenth-century marriage robbed Mrs. Mallard of her freedom and
identity. In some pieces of fiction, however, the theme is more elusive.
What thought do we come away with after reading Jamaica Kincaid's
"Girl"? That mothers can try too hard? That oppression leads to
oppression? That a parent's repeated dire predictions have a way of
becoming truth?
Too much focus on pinning down a story's theme
can obscure the accompanying emotional context or the story's
intentional ambiguity (especially for contemporary fiction). In fact,
the function of some contemporary short stories, such as Donald
Barthelme's "In the Tolstoy Museum," is in part to make us confront the
limitations of traditional processes of establishing meaning and
coherence. In most cases, though, theme is still an important element of
story construction (even in its absence), providing the basis for many
valuable discussions.
DEFINITION OF SYMBOLISM, ALLEGORY, AND IMAGE:
An image is a sensory impression used to create meaning in a story.
For example, near the beginning of "Young Goodman Brown," we see Faith,
Brown's wife, "thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the
wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap." While visual imagery such as this is typically the most prominent in a story, good fiction also includes imagery based on the other senses: sound, smell, touch, and taste.
If
an image in a story is used repeatedly and begins to carry multiple
layers of meaning, it may be significant enough to call a symbol.
Symbols are often objects, like a toy windmill or a rose, or they may be
parts of a landscape, like a river. While a normal image is generally
used once, to complete a scene or passage, a symbol is often referred to
repeatedly and carries meanings essential to the story. Some symbols
are universal, like water for cleansing, but others are more culturally
based. In some African societies, for example, a black cat is seen as
good luck. Fiction writers use preexisting cultural associations as well
as meanings drawn from the context of the story to create multiple
levels of meaning. Faith's pink ribbons in "Young Goodman Brown" carry
cultural connotations of innocence and purity, but the fact that the
wind plays with the ribbons in one key image also brings to mind
temptation, alluring chaos, the struggle with natural forces. Red is
also a significant color in the story's final temptation scene, with its
basin of "water, reddened by the lurid light? Or was it blood?" Faith's
pink ribbons carry, of course, a tinge of red.
visual imagery: Imagery of sight
aural imagery: Imagery of sound (e.g., the soft hiss of skis)
olfactory imagery: Imagery of smell (e.g., the smell of spilled beer)
tactile imagery: Imagery of touch (e.g., bare feet on a hot sidewalk)
gustatory imagery: Imagery of taste (e.g., the bland taste of starchy bananas)
DEFINITION OF SETTING:
Setting, quite simply, is the story’s time and place. While setting
includes simple attributes such as climate or wall décor, it can also
include complex dimensions such as the historical moment the story
occupies or its social context. Because particular
places and times have their own personality or emotional essence (such
as the stark feel of a desert or the grim, wary resolve in the United
States after the September 11th attacks), setting is also one of the
primary ways that a fiction writer establishes mood.
Typically, short stories occur in limited locations and time frames,
such as the two rooms involved in Kate Chopin’s "The Story of an Hour,"
whereas novels may involve many different settings in widely varying
landscapes. Even in short stories, however, readers should become
sensitive to subtle shifts in setting. For example, when the grieving
Mrs. Mallard retires alone to her room, with "new spring life" visible
out the window, this detail about the setting helps reveal a turn in the
plot. Setting is often developed with narrative description, but it may
also be shown with action, dialogue, or a character’s thoughts.
social context: The significant cultural issues affecting a story’s setting or authorship
mood: The underlying feeling or atmosphere produced by a story
NARRATION / POINT OF VIEW
Point of view in fiction refers to the source and scope of the narrative voice. In the first-person
point of view, usually identifiable by the use of the pronoun "I," a
character in the story does the narration. A first-person narrator may
be a major character and is often its protagonist. For example, the
point of view in Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" becomes evident when the
protagonist responds, "I don't sing benna at all on Sundays, and never
in Sunday school." A first-person narrator may also be a minor
character, someone within the story but not centrally involved, as in
William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," which is told by a member of the
town who is not active in the plot but has observed the events. The
author's choice of point of view has a significant effect on the story's
voice and on the type of information given to the reader. In
first-person narration, for example, what can be shown is limited to the
character's observation and thoughts, and any skewed perceptions in the
narrator will be passed on to the reader. Third-person point
of view occurs when the narrator does not take part in the story. "I
don't sing benna at all on Sundays" might become, in the third person,
"She never sings benna on Sundays." There are three types of
third-person point of view. In third-person omniscient,
the narrative voice can render information from anywhere, including the
thoughts and feelings of any of the characters. This all-knowing
perspective allows the narrator to roam freely in the story's setting
and even beyond. In third-person limited, sometimes called third-person sympathetic,
the narrative voice can relate what is in the minds of only a select
few characters (often only one, the point-of-view character). In third-person objective,
the narrator renders explicit, observable details and does not have
access to the internal thoughts of characters or background information
about the setting or situation. A character's thoughts, for example, are
inferred only by what is expressed openly, in actions or in words. This
point of view is also known as third-person dramatic because it is
generally the way drama is developed. While the second-person point
of view exists, it is not used very often because making the reader
part of the story can be awkward: "You walk to the end of the road and
pause before heading towards the river."
narrative voice: The voice of the narrator telling the story
point-of-view character: The character focused on most closely by the narrator; in first-person point of view, the narrator himself
DEFINITION OF STYLE, TONE, AND LANGUAGE:
Style in fiction refers to the language conventions
used to construct the story. A fiction writer can manipulate diction,
sentence structure, phrasing, dialogue, and other aspects of language to
create style. Thus a story's style could be described as richly
detailed, flowing, and barely controlled, as in the case of Jamaica
Kincaid's "Girl," or sparing and minimalist, as in the early work of
Raymond Carver, to reflect the simple sentence structures and low range
of vocabulary. Predominant styles change through time; therefore the
time period in which fiction was written often influences its style. For
example, Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," written in the
nineteenth century, uses diction and sentence structure that might seem
somewhat crisp and formal to contemporary readers: "With this excellent
resolve for the future, Goodman Brown felt himself justified in making
more haste on his present evil purpose."
The communicative effect created by the author's style can be referred to as the story's voice. To identify a story's voice,
ask yourself, "What kind of person does the narrator sound like?" A
story's voice may be serious and straightforward, rambunctiously comic,
or dramatically tense. In "Girl," the voice of the mother, as narrated
to us in the daughter's first-person point of view, is harsh and
judgmental, exposing an urgent and weathered concern for the daughter's
development as she becomes a woman.
A story's style and voice contribute to its tone. Tone refers
to the attitude that the story creates toward its subject matter. For
example, a story may convey an earnest and sincere tone toward its
characters and events, signaling to the reader that the material is to
be taken in a serious, dramatic way. On the other hand, an attitude of
humor or sarcasm may be created through subtle language and content
manipulation. In the last line of Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," for
example, an ironic spin emerges when we learn that "the doctors said she
died of heart disease, of joy that kills."
diction: The author's choice of words
