ALL ABOUT FICTION

Subject Teacher: Ms. Janessa Mae N. Dalimocon

DEFINITION

Fiction is the dram of the writer, made visible

on the page. It may be the writer’s lived experienced
or it ay be entirely imagined.
Fiction literature created from he imagination,
not presented as fact, though it may be based on a
true story or situation.
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
A. Character-a person, an animal, or an imaginary creature
that takes the part in the action of the story.
TYPES OF CHARACTER:

■ Protagonist- the main

character of the story
that is most central to
the action of the story.

■ Antagonist- the person

or thing working against
the protagonist, or hero,
in the story.
Static Characters- characters that stay the same throughout
the story.

Dynamic Characters- characters that change and learn

something during the story.

Flat – very few personality traits, do not change throughout the

story, sometimes can be symbols or stereotypes

Round –convincing and true to life, many different personality

traits, usually undergo a change during the story
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
B. Characterization - the techniques an author uses to
develop the personality of a character in a literary work.

– physical appearance and

personality
– speech, behavior , and actions
– thoughts and feelings
– interactions with other characters
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
C. Setting - The time and place in which the action occurs.
Look for clues in the opening paragraphs of the story or
novel.

Some or all of these aspects of setting should be considered when examining a

story:
a) place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story
taking place?
b) time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of
day, year, etc.)
c) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?
d) social conditions - What is the daily life of the characters like?
Does the story contain local colour?
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
D. Point of View - refers to who tells the story and how it is told

1st person- the story is told by one of the characters in the

story. The character uses the pronouns I
and we.

3rd person- the story is told by the narrator who stands

outside of the story and observes the events as they unfold.
The narrator uses the pronouns she, he, and they.
ELEMENTS OF FICTION
E. Plot- the action element in fiction, is the arrangement of events
that make up a story. It is based on a key conflict.

There are five basic parts of plot:

• Exposition- the first part of the story. The author establishes the
setting, introduces characters, gives additional background
information.
• Rising Action/Complications- the series of conflicts or struggles that
build a story toward its climax. Tension rises.
• Climax- the high point, or turning point, of a story. It is the most
intense point. A decision is made that will decide the outcome of the
conflict.
• Falling Action- the action that works out the decision arrived at
during the climax. The conflict is –or begins to be –settled.
• Resolution- the ending. It ties up loose ends and brings the story to
a close.
 ELEMENTS OF FICTION
F. Theme- is the central idea or meaning of a story.

G. Tone - is the author’s implicit attitude toward the reader, subject,

and/or the people, places, and events in a work as revealed by the
elements of the author’s style.

H. Symbolization - is a person, object, image, word, or event that

evokes a range of additional meaning beyond and usually more
abstract that is literal significance.
Example:
Universal Symbols:
•water = purity
•black clouds = evil approaching
Watch the video on this link to know
more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vVry2_W7gE
Genres of Fiction
The two main types of fiction
Other types of fiction
1. Mystery is a popular genre, boasting a huge
established audience. All mysteries focus on a
crime, usually murder.

2. Romance is a type of category fiction in which

the love relationship between a man and a
woman pervades the plot.

3. Science fiction can be defined as literature

involving elements of science and technology
as a basis for conflict, or as the setting for a
story.
4. Suspense novels and thrillers are tense, exciting,
often sensational works with ingenious plotting, swift
action, and continuous suspense.

5. Mainstream fiction is transcends popular novel

categories—mystery, romance or science fiction, etc.

6. Western, these novels about life on America’s post Civil

War western frontier usually involve conflicts between
cowboys and outlaws, cowboys and Native Americans, or
Easterners and Westerners.
7. Horror, the characteristic is the intention to
frighten readers by exploiting their fears, both
conscious and subconscious.

8. Young adults, this genre includes any type of

novel with a protagonist in the 12 to 16 age
range that speaks to the concerns of
teenagers.
2. Fiction Genres
a. Historical fiction
b. Realistic fiction
c. Fantasy
d. Science fiction
e. Mystery
 a. Historical fiction
A fictional story set in a recognizable
period of history. As well as telling the stories
of ordinary people’s lives, historical fiction
may involve political or social events of the
time.
 b. Realistic Fiction
Imaginative writing that accurately reflects life as
it could be lived today. Everything is a realistic fiction
story could conceivably happen to real people living
in today’s natural physical world. Realistic fiction
helps children move toward a fuller understanding of
themselves and others.
https://www2.k12albemarle.org/dept/instruction/languagearts/Curriculum%20Appendices/Appen
dixF_GenreDef.pdf
 c. Fantasy
Requires the willing suspension of disbelief. Fantasy creates another world
for characters and readers, asking that the reader believe this other world could
exist. There are two types of fantasy – fantastic stories and high fantasy.

1. Fantastic Stories- are realistic in most details but still require the reader to
willingly suspend disbelief. They contain fantastic elements, such as talking
animals, eccentric characters in preposterous situations, anthropomorphism, or
extraordinary worlds. Example: Charlotte’s Web and Tuck Everlasting

2. High fantasy - takes place is a created world or imaginary kingdom. Serious in

tone, the story primarily focuses on the conflict between opposing forces, and
concerns itself with cosmic questions and ultimate values, such as goodness,
truth, courage, or wisdom. The Book of Three (Alexander), The Chronicles of
Narnia (Lewis), and The Hobbit (Tolkien) are examples.
 d. Science fiction
Science fiction can be defined as literature involving elements of
science and technology as a basis for conflict, or as the setting for
a story.
Example:
Humans and Technology-
Stories describing how humans interact with computers,
nanotechnology, bioengineering, virtual reality, artificial
intelligences, or other parts of technologically driven society.
These stories often question the concept of what it means to
be human.
(I, Robot, Terminator)
 e. Mystery
Presents a puzzle or riddle to be
solved. Mysteries contain a
character who acts as the detective,
and contain clues to help he reader
solve the puzzle. Mysteries written
for older students have a
suspenseful mood and contain
foreshadowing.

https://www2.k12albemarle.org/dept/instruction/languagearts/Curriculum%20Appendices/Appen
dixF_GenreDef.pdf
3. Types of Fiction

a. Novel f. Novella
b. Fable h. Fairy tale
c. Short story i. epic
d. Folk tale g. Myth
e. Legend
 a. Novel
Novel, an invented prose narrative of considerable length
and a certain complexity that deals imaginatively with human
experience, usually through a connected sequence of events
involving a group of persons in a specific setting. Within its broad
framework, the genre of the novel has encompassed an extensive
range of types and styles: picaresque, epistolary, Gothic, romantic,
realist, historical—to name only some of the more important ones.

https://www.britannica.com/art/novella
b. Short Story

Short story, brief fictional prose

narrative that is shorter than a novel and
that usually deals with only a few
characters.
A brief story usually 5-20 pages long. only
has 1-2 main characters and one main
setting.
 c. Fable
A fable is a very brief story in prose or in
verse that teaches a moral or a practical
lesson about how to succeed in life.
A fable is a very brief story in prose or in verse
that teaches a moral or a practical lesson about
how to succeed in life.

http://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/cms/lib08/GA01000549/Centricity/Domain/6909/Folklore%
20PPT-fables-myths-folktales-%20fairytales.ppt
 d. Folk tale

• A folk tale is a story with no known author. Folk tales are

passed down from one generation to another by word of
mouth.
• They teach lessons & teach you about the consequences of
certain kinds of behaviors or attitudes.

http://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/cms/lib08/GA01000549/Centricity/Domain/6909/Folklore%
20PPT-fables-myths-folktales-%20fairytales.ppt
http://www.slideshare.net/bogeybear/folk-fairy-tales
 e. Legend
A legend is a semi-true story, which has been passed on
from person-to-person and has important meaning or symbolism
for the culture in which it originates. A legend usually includes an
element of truth, or is based on historic facts, but with 'mythical
qualities'. Legends usually involve heroic characters or fantastic
places and often encompass the spiritual beliefs of the culture in
which they originate.

http://myths.e2bn.org/teachers/info311-what-are-myths-legends-and-folktales.html
Example:

http://www.slideshare.net/mckeemarque1/legend-fables-myths-and-tales
f. Novella

Story between 20-100 pages; can also be

a collection of short stories.

Example:
Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness(1899)
 g. Myth
A myth is a story passed down from generations trying
to explain how our world works or how we should treat
each other. Some myths have gods or ‘super-beings’
that use powers to make events happen.

http://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/cms/lib08/GA01000549/Centricity/Domain/6909/Folklore%
20PPT-fables-myths-folktales-%20fairytales.ppt
 h. Fairy tale
• A fairy tale is a type of imaginative writing that carries
the reader into an invented world where the laws of
nature, as we know them, do not operate.

Usually starts with…”Once upon a time & ends

with “They lived happily ever after”.
Good & evil characters
Magic happens!
Problem & Solution

“ se v e ns ”
http://s ch o ol w ire s. he nry.k12.ga.us/cms/lib08/GA01000549/Centricity/Domain/6909/Folklore%2
0PPT-fables-myths-folktales-%20fairytales.ppt
 i. Epic
• Stories and songs emerged as an oral means of communication and
preserving the past: tales of heroic battles or struggles, myths, or religious
beliefs. In a time before mass communication, the oral tradition enabled
people to pass down stories, most often in the form of rhyming poems.

• Thus, the earliest forms of fiction were in fact poetry. Eventually written
down, these extended narratives developed into epics, which were long
narrative poems about heroic figures whose actions determine the fate of
a nation or entire race. What other stories or films do you know of that
follow this common theme?

https://www.hccfl.edu/media/188434/fiction%20powerpoint%20.doc%20version.ppt