24 Questions
What is the primary focus of the Historical literary genre?
Reconstructing past events and customs
What is a key characteristic of Science Fiction?
Based on scientific laws and technological possibilities
What is the primary purpose of the Exposition in a plot?
To introduce characters, background, and setting
What is the main function of the Rising Action in a plot?
To complicate the events and reveal the conflict
What is the primary focus of the Legends literary genre?
Describing a hero's story
What is the main purpose of Conflict in a plot?
To oppose incidents and move the plot
What is the primary focus of the Myths literary genre?
Explaining how something in nature works
What is the primary function of the Plot in a story?
To arrange events to develop the basic idea
What is the primary function of conflict in a story?
To arouse curiosity and create tension
What type of conflict involves a struggle within one's self?
Internal conflict
What is the climax of a story?
The turning point of the story where the character receives new information
What is the main purpose of a flashback in a story?
To reveal biographical data or deep psychological reasons for a character's actions
What is the term for the events that occur between the climax and resolution of a story?
Falling action
What is the primary function of the resolution in a story?
To provide a final outcome to the events of the story
What is the term for a plot technique that involves a character being caught in a difficult situation with a choice to make?
Dilemma
What is the primary purpose of plot techniques such as suspense and flashback?
To manipulate the reader's emotions and create tension
What is the primary purpose of foreshadowing in a narrative?
To provide subtle hints about the conflict's outcome
What is the term for a narrative that begins in the middle of the story?
In medias res
What is the main characteristic of a reliable character?
Their temperament and moral nature are consistent with their speech and action
What is the purpose of a character's motivation in a narrative?
To establish a character's temperament and moral nature
What is the term for an ending that catches the reader off guard with something unexpected?
Surprise Ending
What is the primary function of a character's epiphany in a narrative?
To establish a character's motivation and moral nature
What is the term for a plot device that leaves a character with a difficult dilemma or shocking revelation at the end of a chapter?
Cliffhanger
What is the primary focus of a narrative that begins in medias res?
The heart of the story and its central action
Study Notes
Plot
- Conflict is a crucial element of plot, arousing curiosity and creating tension and interest.
- There are two types of conflict: internal (struggle within oneself) and external (struggle with a force outside oneself).
- External conflict can be further divided into character vs. character, character vs. nature, and character vs. society.
- Climax is the turning point of the story, where the main character receives new information, accepts it, and acts on it.
- Falling action is the resolution of events, occurring between the climax and denouement.
- Resolution is the final outcome of events in the story.
Plot Techniques
- Suspense often involves dilemma, creating a difficult choice for the protagonist.
- Flashback is a technique used to reveal biographical data or deep psychological reasons behind a character's actions.
- Foreshadowing hints at the outcome of a conflict before the climax and resolution.
- In medias res is a narrative technique that begins in the middle of the story, rather than at the beginning.
- Surprise ending (plot twist) is an unexpected conclusion that catches the reader off guard.
- Cliffhanger is a plot device that leaves the reader with a difficult dilemma or shocking revelation at the end of a chapter or section.
Characters
- Characters are the persons presented in a narrative, endowed with moral and dispositional qualities.
- Characters can be either reliable or unreliable.
- Examples of unreliable narrators include The Case of Benjamin Button and Sherlock Holmes.
Literary Genres
- Historical fiction is based on or reconstructed from historical events or customs.
- Examples of historical fiction include The Book Thief and Memoirs of a Geisha.
- Science fiction is based on scientific laws and technological possibilities, and often involves futuristic or dystopian societies.
- Examples of science fiction include Star Wars and The Hunger Games.
- Legends are stories that tell the hero's journey, often based on facts but distorted through retellings.
- Examples of legends include The Legend of Robin Hood and The Legend of Maria Cristina Falls.
- Myths are stories that explain natural phenomena, such as why the spider spins a web.
Elements of Fiction
- Plot is the sequence of events in a story, and is the soul of the story.
- There are five essential parts of plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Learn about the role of conflict in a story, including the two types: internal and external. Understand how conflict drives the plot and keeps the reader engaged.
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