THE ELEMENTS

OF LITERATURE
CHARACTERS
1. Types of Characters:
•Protagonist (hero): the central figure with whom
we usually sympathize or identify.
•Antagonist (villain): the figure who opposes the
protagonist and creates the conflict.
•Foil Character: the figure whose personality traits
are the opposite of main characters. This is supporting
character and usually made to shine the protagonist.
2. The ways characters are portrayed:

•Flat characters (stock, static characters or stereotypes):

they have no depth and no change; we only see one side or
aspect of them. Most supporting characters are portrayed in this
way, for example, a strict teacher, a helpful policeman, and an
evil stepmother.
•Round character (dynamic character): they have more
fully developed personalities. We expect the protagonist and
antagonist to be rounded individuals who express a range of
emotion and change throughout the narrative, usually toward
greater maturity.
3. The ways characters are revealed:

•What the narrator says about the character.

•What the other character say about the
character
•What the character says about himself or
herself
•What the character actually does
Setting
The setting refers to the time, the geographical
location, and the general environment and
circumstances that prevail in a narrative. The
setting helps to establish the mood of a story.
Two types of setting
1. Integral setting: the setting is fully described in both
time and place, usually found in historical fiction.

2. Backdrop setting: the setting is vague and general,

which helps to convey a universal, timeless tale. This type
of setting is often found in folktales and simply sets the
stage and the mood. For example, “long ago in a cottage
in the deep woods” and “once upon a time there was a
great land that hsd an Emperor.”
Narrative Point of View
• Internal narrator: (first person narrator: the
narrator uses “I” to refer to himself/herself: the
narrator is a character in the story, but not
necessarily, the protagonist. This narrative point
of view allows for a very personal touch in the
story telling.
• Omniscient narrator (multiple points of
view: the narrator is “all-knowing”) the narrator
is not a character in the story but knows
everything about the story. The omniscient
narrator can show the thoughts and experiences
of any character in the story. It permits the
writer the broadest scope.
• Limited narrator (external subjective narrator; the
3rd person point of view): the narrator is not a character
in the story but look at things only through the eyes of a
single character. This type of narrative permits the
narrator to quickly build a close bond between the
protagonist and the reader, without being confined by
the protagonist’s educational or language restrictions.
Plot
The plot of a story is a series of
interconnected events in which every
occurrence has a specific purpose. A plot is
all about establishing connections,
suggesting causes, and showing
relationships.
Four type of plot structure:
•A dramatic or progressive plot: this is a chronological
structure which first establishes the setting and conflict, then
follows the rising action through to a climax (the peak of the
action and turning point), and concludes with a denouement
(a wrapping up of loose ends).
• An episodic plot: this is also a chronological structure, but it
consists of a series of loosely related incidents, usually of
chapter length, tied together by a common theme and/or
characters. Episodic plots works best when the writer wishes
to explore the personalities of the characters, the nature of
their existence, and the flavor of an era.
•A parallel plot: the writer weaves two or more
dramatic plots that are usually linked by a common
character and a similar theme.
•A flashback: this structure conveys information
about events that occurred earlier. It permits authors
to begin the story in the midst of the action but later
fill in the background for full understanding of the
present events. Flashbacks can occur more than once
and in different parts of a story.
Conflict

1. Common types of conflicts:

•The protagonist against another
•The protagonist against society
•The protagonist against nature
•The protagonist against self
2. A single story may contain more than one
type of conflict, although one often
predominates. The conflict provides the
excitement and makes possible the growth and
development of the protagonist’s character.
Theme
1. The theme is the main, underlying idea of a
piece of literature. It is woven subtly into the
fabric of the story rather than being lectured or
preached by the author.
2. Among the frequently found thematic issues in
children’s literature are the problems of growing un
and maturing, such as adjustment to society, love
and friendship, achieving one’s identity, and finding
one’s place in the world.
Style
1. Word choice
2. Sentence length and construction
• Short sentences best convey suspense,
tension, and swift action.
• Longer sentences work best when
explanations and descriptions are needed.
3. Exposition: the narrator’s passages
that provide background information
and/or introduce characters to help
readers understand the events of a story.
Children prefer a balance between
exposition and dialogue.
4. Dialogue: the words spoken by the characters, usually
to each other, not to the reader. Children especially enjoy
dialogue as a realistic and convincing way of defining
character.
Tone
-Tone refers to the author’s mood and manner of
expression in a work of literature. The tone can be
serious, didactic, humorous, satirical, caustic/sarcastic,
passionate, sensitive, sentimental, zealous, indifferent,
poignant, warm, agitate and so on.
Humor:
Incongruity is the foundation of humor. We laugh at the
tension resulting from something out of the ordinary. Humor is
elusive. Humor tends to be age specific. Humor can be either
sympathetic or genitive. One prerequisite is that the victim
must seem to deserve the fate or the harm must not be
critical.
Ten types of humor most common in children’s books (Kappas, 1967):

•Exaggeration •Slapstick
•Incongruity •Absurdity
•Surprise •Situational humor
•Ridicule/satire
•Defiance
•Violence
•Verbal humor: word play, name-calling, jokes
and puns, malapropisms (the unintentional
misuse of language), or the misinterpretation of
language.
Parody:
-A parody is a literary imitation of another piece of
literature, usually using exaggeration for comic purpose.
Condescending tones:
-Condescending tones are inappropriate for
children’s stories, placing the adult narrator in
a superior position.
For examples, a moralizing, didactic,
sentimental, or cynical tone is not appreciated
in children’s literature nowadays.
Thank you for
listening!