Prose Structure and Character Roles

Prose Structural Elements

• Prose tells a story, idea, or information in sentences and paragraphs.
• Prose can be classified into fiction (imaginative) or nonfiction (factual).
• Longer prose forms, like novels, are divided into chapters or units.

Character Roles

• Protagonist: The most important character. Often synonymous with the main character.
• Antagonist: The character that opposes the protagonist. Often the villain or enemy.
• Deuteragonist: A secondary character, closely related to the protagonist
• Tritagonist: A tertiary character, relatively minor, who adds more dimension to the story's world.
• Love Interest: A character who is or potentially could be a romantic partner to another character, often the protagonist.
• Confidant: This character is a close friend or mentor.
• Foil: This character has traits that oppose or contrast with another character, often the protagonist.

Character Qualities

• Round Character: Well-developed figures in a story, complex and multifaceted.
• Flat Character: Character that does not change much over the course of a story. Usually shows only a few personality traits.

Characterization

• Direct Characterization: How a character appears – often based on their physical traits or profession.
• Indirect Characterization: How a character operates – based on their actions, thoughts, and opinions.

Character Archetypes

• Allies: Characters who help or support the protagonist.
• Enemies: Characters who oppose or hinder the protagonist.

Setting

• Setting (as Place): The physical environment where the story takes place.
• Setting (as Time): Includes time in all its dimensions, such as era, period, or exact date/time, to help set the scene.
• Setting (as Cultural Context): The social circumstances of the time and place of the story are considered.

Point of View

• Point of View: Is the perspective from which the story unfolds.
• First Person POV: The narrator tells the story from their own perspective.
• Second Person POV: Uses the pronoun "you" and immerses the reader in the protagonist's experience.
• Third Person Limited POV: The narrator only has access to the thoughts and feelings of one character or none at all.
• Third Person Omniscient POV: The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters in the story, and can switch between characters as needed.

Mood

• Mood: Is the feeling or atmosphere that a story conveys, based on specific word choices and the elements within the story.

Theme

• Theme: Is the central idea or the main message of a story.

Plot

• Plot: The sequence of events in a story, usually contains Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Resolution.
• Exposition: The beginning of the story, where characters and the setting are introduced.
• Rising Action: Part of the plot when the main character experiences conflict
• Climax: The most exciting or suspenseful part of the story, where the outcome of the main conflict is determined.
• Falling Action: Events leading to the end of the story.
• Resolution (or Denouement): The end of the story, and the resolution of any remaining conflict.