Narrative Elements

character vs. nature

when a character has a problem with a force such as cold, storms, earthquakes, an animal etc.

character vs. fate

when a character has a problem with something they can't do anything about such as god, luck, death, etc.

limited point of view

a perspective restricted to a single character, whether a first person or a third person

foil

A character who is in most ways opposite to the main character. The purpose of the character is to emphasize the traits of the main character by contrast only

irony

A contrast between what is expected and what actually happens

theme

A message about life or human nature that is revealed through a piece of literature

foreshadowing

A narrative device that hints at coming events

flashback

A scene that interrupts the events in a story to show something that happened at an earlier time

third person point of view

A story where the narrator is not a character and the author reveals only a single character's thoughts and feelings by using pronouns such as he, she, it, they, and them.

mood

A story's atmosphere or the feeling it creates in a reader

external conflict

A struggle between a character and an outside force

conflict

A struggle between opposing forces

symbol

A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.

anatagonist

Character or force that opposes the protagonist

character vs. society

Conflict between the main character with culture, community, or a larger group of people

resolution

End of the story where loose ends are tied up

falling action

Events after the climax, leading to the resolution

rising action

Events leading up to the climax (not including the exposition)

protagonist

Main character in a story

narrator

One who tells a story

plot

Sequence of events in a story

point of view

The perspective from which a story is told

first person point of view

Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters using the pronouns "I," "We," etc.

internal conflict

a struggle that takes within the character's own mind.

four types of external conflict

character vs. character character vs. society character vs. fate character vs. nature

exposition

the beginning of a story that provides background information about the characters and the setting

Omniscient point of view

the narrator knows and can tell the reader the thoughts of any character

character vs. character

the protagonist is in conflict with another character; external

climax

the turning point of the story (which leads to the resolution of the conflict)

setting

time and place in which the action of a story occurs.

four types of characterization

what a character looks like what a character says/thinks what a character does what others say/think about that character