7 Elements of Literature PDF

**The 7 elements of literature** **1. Character** The most fundamental of the literary elements, the root of all storytelling, is this: [character](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/#crafting-characters). No matter what species your main character belongs to, what their socio-ethno-economic bac...

**The 7 elements of literature** **1. Character** The most fundamental of the literary elements, the root of all storytelling, is this: [character](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/#crafting-characters). No matter what species your main character belongs to, what their socio-ethno-economic background is, what planet they come from, or what time period they occupy, your characters will have innate needs and desires that we as human beings can see within ourselves. The longing for independence, the desire to be loved, the need to feel safe are all things that most of us have experienced and can relate to when presented through the filter of story. The first step to using this literary element is easy, and what most new writers think of when they start thinking about characters. it's simply asking yourself, *who is this person?* (And again, I'm using "person" in the broadest possible sense.) What makes them interesting? Why is this protagonist someone I might enjoy reading about? \\**Types of characters you'll find in every story** Since character is the primary building block of all good literature, you'll want your character to be as engaging and true to real life as can be. Let's take a quick look at some of the different character types you'll encounter in your story world. **Protagonist** [Your protagonist is the main character of your story.](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-a-protagonist) Often they'll be the hero, but not always---antiheroes and complex morally grey leads make for interesting plots, too. This is the character through which your reader goes on a journey and learns the valuable lessons illustrated in your themes (more on theme down below). **Antagonist** [Your antagonist is the person standing in the way of your protagonist's goal.](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-an-antagonist) These two central characters have opposing desires, and it's the conflict born out of that opposition that drives the events of the plot. Sometimes an antagonist will be a villain bent on world destruction, and sometimes it'll be an average person who simply sees the world in a different way. **upporting characters** Once you have those two essential leads, your story needs its supporting cast. This is where you get to have fun with other characters like friends, love interests, family dynamics, and a [whole range of character archetypes](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-are-character-archetypes) that bring your story to life. **Foil characters** As a bonus, many stories may also feature foil characters. [A foil character in literature](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-a-foil-character) refers to two characters who may or may not be at odds with each other, but are opposite in every way. This literary technique works effectively to highlight aspects of each character. Your foil characters may be the protagonist and the antagonist, or the protagonist and one of the supporting characters, or both. **2. Setting** [Your setting is *where*, *when*, and to some degree *how* your story takes place.](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-setting) It's also your character's relationship with the world around them. A story setting might be as small as a cupboard under the stairs, or it might be as wide and vast as twenty thousand leagues of endless grey sea. A short story might have only one setting, the heart of where the story takes place; longer works such as novels will probably have several. You can use all five senses to develop your setting. Setting often gets overlooked as a less important literary element than character, plot, or conflict, but in reality a setting can drive all of these things. So much of who we are is shaped by the social setting we grew up, the places we spend our time, the time period we grew up in, and major events of the time that impacted our cultural awareness. Your characters are no different. Someone who has spent their life on a sprawling country estate bordering a dark and spooky wood will naturally grow into someone very different than someone living in the narrow back alleys of a noisy, gritty city---just as someone living in the Great Depression of the 1930s will grow to develop different habits and perspectives than someone living in the technological advancements of the late 1990s. **Types of PoV used in fiction writing** Point of view, or PoV, is [one of the most important choices a writer makes when beginning a new work of fiction.](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-point-of-view) Here's a quick overview of the different points of view you'll find in all narratives. **First Person Subjective** First person narratives are written from the character's point of view (or the PoV of multiple characters) as if they were speaking directly to the reader. You'll use statements like "I saw a shadow move from the corner of my eye," or, "and then he told me that it was over." First person subjective PoV takes the reader into the mind of the character and shows us everything they're thinking and feeling. **First Person Objective** First person objective is very similar because it's also from the character's perspective and uses "I" and "me" statements. The difference is that the objective PoV doesn't show the character's internal thoughts and feelings---only their actions. This gives the reader an outside perspective and makes them feel like they're watching video footage of the story, deducing what's happening under the surface from the events of the plot. **Second Person** Second person PoV has a lot in common with first person, but instead of being told from the main character's perspective, it's told from the reader's---this allows the reader to become the person telling the story. You may remember this from "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. In second person narration, you'll use statements like "you turn a corner and find yourself staring at a door you've never seen." This is challenging to do well, but a fun creative exercise for any writer. **Third Person Limited Subjective** Third person points of view are the most classic in literature; they use "he," "she," or "they" to follow the characters' journeys. In a limited subjective point of view, you'll allow the reader to experience the thoughts and feelings of your protagonist---but no one else. This is a common narrative choice in mystery novels. **Third Person Objective** Third person objective is pretty similar to first person objective, but it uses the third person pronouns. The reader won't experience anything the characters are thinking or feeling except through their actions and the choices that they make, leaving the true undercurrents of the story to the reader's imagination. **4. Plot** In a literary text, [the plot is the sequence of events that takes the protagonist on a journey](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-plot)---whether that's a literal journey from one place to another, a journey in which they learn how something came to be, or a journey in which they learn something about themselves. Some stories may be all of these things. How your protagonist reacts to the events around them and the choices that they make come from the things they want and the things they need---we looked at that a little bit in character, above. Most of these stories will fall into one of a few classic plot structures that have been shown to resonate with us on a deep, instinctual level. And every one of these plot structures will use several essential plot points. **Important plot points every story needs** There's a number of different ways to approach the plot of your story, but you'll find that most of them follow the same general sequence of events from the inciting incident, or the first key plot point, to the denouement. Let's look at the different stages that a good story will pass through from beginning to end. **Inciting incident** The inciting incident is the event that changes the protagonist's life and sends them on a different path than the one they were on before. This will be the first major plot point of every story, and is essential for grabbing the reader's attention. A good example might be if a mysterious new stranger enters the protagonist's life. **Rising action** During the first half of your story, your characters will encounter several challenges on their way to achieving their goal (the one set into motion by the inciting incident). These "mini battles" form the rising action of a story. **Climax** The climax is the great showdown between the protagonist and their adversary, the moment of greatest triumph and greatest loss. Everything your characters have learned through the rising action has led to this moment. **Falling action** After the final battle, your characters need to adjust to the new landscape of their world. During the falling action, you'll show the reader how the effects of the rising action and the climax reverberate into the characters' lives. **Denouement** The denouement is the final scene of any story that wraps up all the lingering threads and answers any unaddressed questions. A well-written denouement will leave the reader feeling satisfied as they close the book. **5. Conflict** When looking at the events that make up your plot, all of the choices your character needs to make will be in response to the [literary element we call "conflict."](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-conflict) This makes it one of the most essential literary elements in literature. This might be a conflict with another person, a conflict inside themselves, or a conflict with their environment. It might be all of these things. There's a reason we close the book after "happily ever after"; once there's no more conflict, the story has run its course and there's nothing more to say. In a story, your protagonist should always have something to fight for. After you've determined what they want and what they need most, ask yourself what's standing in their way. What steps can they take to overcome this obstacle? And---this is a big one---*what do they stand to lose if they fail?* How your protagonist reacts to these conflicts shows a lot about who they are as a person. As the story progresses and your character grows, the way they handle these conflicts will probably change---they'll start taking an active role in moving the story along, rather than a passive one. **Types of conflict that drive your characters** Conflict is essential to a good story, but it can be so much more than simply pitting a hero against a villain. Let's look at the different kinds of conflict that drive a story forward. **Character vs. Character** Above, we looked at how antagonists can be central characters in a good narrative. This type of conflict sets a person against another person, usually the classic bad guys of literature, and watches their opposing needs play out. These will usually be the main characters of the literary work. **Character vs. Self** Sometimes, a protagonist's obstacle comes from within. This might be something like addiction, alcoholism, fear, or other forms of self-sabotage. This type of conflict shows the main character fighting and ultimately overcoming their central weakness. **Character vs. Society** This type of conflict sets an individual protagonist against the larger world. Stories that deal in difficult themes like racism, homophobia, misogyny, or class divides often focus on this conflict. (We'll look a little more at theme down below.) **Character vs. Nature** A beloved mainstay of hollywood blockbusters, this type of conflict sets the protagonist against an impersonal force of the natural world---an animal, a natural disaster, or illness. **6. Theme** [Theme as a literary element](https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-theme) is something that makes both readers and writers a little cautious. After all, doesn't worrying about developing and understanding a theme take some of the enjoyment out of stories? Well no, it shouldn't, because themes are present in all works of art whether they were put there intentionally or not. Theme is simply the sum of what the creator was trying to communicate with their work. Neil Gaiman approached the idea of theme very nicely by asking one simple question: "What's it about?" What's this story *really* about? Underneath all the explosions and secrets and tense kisses and whatever else makes your plot go forward, maybe it's really a story about family. Or injustice. Or maybe it's about being there for your best friend even when they screw up really, really bad. General Types of Literature Literature can generally be divided into two types; *prose and poetry*. ***Prose*** consists of those written within the common flow of conversation in sentences and paragraphs, while poetry refers to those expressions in verse, with measure and rhyme, line and stanza and has a more melodious tone. I. PROSE  There are many types of prose. These include the following: a. Novels. A long narrative divided into chapters and events are taken from true-to-life stories.       Example:WITHOUT SEEING THE DAWN by Stevan Javellana b. Short story. This is a narrative involving one or more characters, one plot and one\ single impression.      Example:THE LAUGHTER OF MY FATHER by Carlos Bulosan c. Plays. This is presented on a stage, is divided into acts and each act has many scenes.      Example: THIRTEEN PLAYS by Wilfredo M. Guerrero d. Legends. These are fictitious narratives, usually about origins.      Example: THE BIKOL LEGEND by Pio Duran e. Fables. These are also fictitious and they deal with animals and inanimate things who speak and act like people and their purpose is to enlighten the minds of children to events that can mold their ways and attitudes.      Example: THE MONKEY AND THE TURTLEf. Anecdotes. These are merely products of the writer's imagination and the main aim is to bring out lessons to the reader.      Example:THE MOTH AND THE LAMP g. Essay. This expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer about a particular\ problem or event. The best example of this is the Editorial page of a newspaper. h. Biography. This deals with the life of a person which may be about himself, his\ autobiography or that of others.      Example: CAYETANO ARELLANO by Socorro O. Albert i. News. This is a report of everyday events in society, government, science and industry, and accidents, happening nationally or not. j. Oration. This is a formal treatment of a subject and is intended to be spoken in public.\ It appeals to the intellect, to the will or to the emotions of the audience. II\. POETRY There are three types of poetry and these are the following: A. Narrative Poetry. This form describes important events in life either real or imaginary. 1. Epic. This is an extended narrative about heroic exploits often under supernatural control.      Example:THE HARVEST SONG OF ALIGUYON translated in English by Amador T. Daguio 2. Metrical Tale. This is a narrative which is written in verse and can be classified either as a ballad or a metrical romance. Examples: BAYANI NG BUKID by Al Perez\ HERO OF THE FIELDS by Al Perez 3. Ballads. Of the narrative poems, this is considered the shortest and simplest. It has a\ simple structure and tells of a single incident. There are also variations of these: love ballads, war ballads, and sea ballads, humorous, moral, and historical or mythical ballads. In the early time, this referred to a song accompanying a dance. B. Lyric Poetry. Originally, this refers to that kind of poetry meant to be sung to the\ accompaniment of a lyre, but now, this applies to any type of poetry that expresses emotions and feelings of the poet. They are usually short, simple and easy to understand. 1. Folksongs (Awiting Bayan). These are short poems intended to be sung. The common\ theme is love, despair, grief, doubt, joy, hope and sorrow.\ Example: CHIT-CHIRIT-CHIT 2. Sonnets. This is a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling, or an idea.\ These are two types: the Italian and the Shakespearean.\ Example: SANTANG BUDS by Alfonso P. Santos 3. Elegy. This is a lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief and melancholy, and whose theme is death.\ Example:THE LOVER'S DEATH by Ricaredo Demetillo 4. Ode. This is a poem of a noble feeling, expressed with dignity, with no definite\ number of syllables or definite number of lines in a stanza. 5. Psalms (Dalit). This is a song praising God or the Virgin Mary and containing a\ philosophy of life.6. Awit (Song). These have measures of twelve syllables (dodecasyllabic) and slowly sung to the accompaniment of a guitar or banduria.\ Example: FLORANTE AT LAURA by Franciso Balagtas 7. Corridos (Kuridos). These have measures of eight syllables (octosyllabic) and recited to a martial beat.\ Example: IBONG ADARNA C. Dramatic Poetry 1. *Comedy*. The word comedy comes from the Greek term "komos"\ meaning festivity or revelry. This form usually is light and written with the purpose of amusing, and usually has a happy ending. 2.* Melodrama*. This is usually used in musical plays with the opera. Today, this is\ related to tragedy just as the farce is to comedy. It arouses immediate and intense\ emotion and is usually sad but there is a happy ending for the principal character.