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Running Head : Story Elements

Elements of a Story

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Elements of a Story

Several elements which inherently exist in any story must be combined to make an engaging and entertaining piece of work for a reader . These elements include setting , character , plot development and symbolism Each of these elements will be examined in more detail below

Setting

Setting in a story most simply refers to its time and place . Overall setting includes the time period and perhaps the geographical location of a story . Within

this broad setting often exists different places such as a house or building and within these a room . Other times , an author may choose to be purposely vague about setting , allowing the reader to form his own opinion of what the place might look like or envision a fiction stories where the action takes place on some far-off planet . The setting is often used to establish the mood of a story - a setting in a foggy graveyard in the midst of London , for example , might evoke frightening thoughts based on the location alone

Character

Characters are those who are portrayed in a story and are very important elements . These can consist of people , animals or other creatures Usually there is a protagonist (the good guy ) and an antagonist (the bad guy ) although there can be more than one of each . Secondary characters are those which the story does not revolve around but rather , they contribute to the plot or the characterization of the protagonist or antagonist in various ways . Characters may be portrayed in first person (seen directly from his point of view , using I ' and we ) or third person (either one or more characters narrating the story . Third person point of view can be either omniscient , limited or sympathetic . Second person point of view is very rarely used

Characterization , on the other hand , is not the definition of a character but rather the development of a character shown through things he says , feels , does , reacts or how other people react to him . In other words , a character is portrayed through his actions , dialogue and /or thoughts

Plot Development

The plot refers to everything that happens in a story - it has a beginning and an end and action in between the two which furthers the telling of the story . Many devices are used for plot development such as climax , complication , conflict , conclusion and resolution . The exposition or back story ' gives information about what has shaped a character such as where he came from and the history and personal elements of his life

Plotting is the strategy used by the author to drop clues along the way that relate to the ending of the story . Sometimes this is done via foreshadowing , or giving out a hint of what is to come later in the story . The plot can also be told via a series of flashbacks ' in which the character thinks back to a previous time and /or place

Symbolism

Symbols in a story...