1/4/22, 7:13 AM Elements of Literature: A Complete Guide for Students and Teachers

RESOURCES

Elements of Literature

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE PHRASE

‘ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE?

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The phrase ‘elements of

literature’ refers to the
constituent parts of a work of
literature in whatever form it
takes: poetry, prose, or drama.

Why are they important?

It’s important students
understand these common
elements if they are to
competently read or write a piece of literature.

Understanding the various elements is particularly useful when studying

longer works. It enables students to examine specific aspects of the work
in isolation, before piecing these separate aspects back together to
display an understanding of the work as a whole.

Having a firm grasp on how the different elements work can also be very
useful when comparing and contrasting two or more texts. 

Not only does understanding the various elements of literature helps us

to answer literature analysis questions in exam situations, but it also
helps us develop a deeper appreciation of literature in general.

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF

LITERATURE?

In this article, we will examine the following elements: plot, setting,

character, point-of-view, theme, tone. 

Each of these broad elements has many possible subcategories and

there is, of course, some crossover between some of the elements – this

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isn’t Math after all!

There are hundreds of terms associated with literature as a whole and I

would recommend viewing this glossary for a complete breakdown of
these.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN

ELEMENT OF LITERATURE AND A LITERARY
DEVICE?

 Elements of literature are present in every literary text. They are the
essential ingredients required to create any piece of literature, including
poems, plays, novels, short stories, feature articles, nonfiction books, etc.

 Literary devices, on the other hand, are tools and techniques that are
used to create specific effects within a work. Think metaphor, simile,
hyperbole, foreshadowing, etc. We examine literary devices in detail in
other articles on this site.

 While the elements of literature will appear in every literary text, not
every literary device will.

 Now, let’s take a look at each of these oh-so-crucial elements of

literature.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON STORY

ELEMENTS

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1: PLOT
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Plot refers to all of the related things that happen in sequence in a story.
The shape of the plot comes from the order of these events and consists
of several distinct aspects that we’ll look at in turn.

The plot is made up of a series of cause and effect events that lead the
reader from the beginning of the story, through the middle, to the

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story’s ending (though sometimes the chronological order is played with

for dramatic effect).

Exposition: This is the introduction of the story and usually it will be

where the reader acquires the necessary background information they’ll
need to follow the various threads of the plot through to the end. This is
also where the setting of the story is established, the main characters are
introduced to the reader, and the central conflict begins to emerge.

Conflict: The conflict of the story serves as the focus and driving force of
most of the story’s action. Essentially, conflict consists of a central (and
sometimes secondary) problem. Without a problem or conflict, there is
no story. Conflict usually takes the form of two opposing forces. These
can be external forces or, sometimes, these opposing forces can take the
form of an internal struggle within the protagonist or main character.

Rising Action: The rising action of the narrative begins at the end of the
exposition. It usually forms most of the plot and begins with an inciting
incident that kick-starts a series of cause and effect events. The rising
action builds on tension and culminates in the climax.

Climax: After the introduction of the problem or central conflict of the

story, the action rises as the drama of the story unfolds in a series of
causes and effects. These events culminate in the story’s dramatic high
point, known as the climax. This is when the tension finally reaches its
breaking point

Falling Action: This part of the narrative is made up of the events that
happen after the climax. Things begin to slow down and work their way
towards the story’s end, tying up loose ends on the way. We can think of
the falling action as a de-escalation of the story’s drama.

Resolution: This is the final part of the plot arc and represents the
closing of the conflict and the return of normality – or a new normality –
in the wake of the story’s events. Often, this takes the form of a
significant change within the main character. A resolution restores

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balance and order to the world or it brings about a new balance and
order.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: PLOT

Discuss a well-known story in class. Fairytales are an excellent resource
for this activity. Students must name a scene from each story that
corresponds to each of the sections of the plot as listed above:
exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

2: SETTING

Setting consists of two key elements: space and time. Space refers to the
where of the story; most often the geographical location where the

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action of the story takes place. Time refers to the when of the story. This
could be a historical period, the present, or in the future.

The setting has some other aspects for the reader or writer to consider
too. For example, drilling down from the broader time and place,
elements such as the weather, cultural context, and physical
surroundings, etc can be important.

The setting is a crucial part of a story’s exposition and is often used to

establish the mood of the story. A carefully crafted setting can be used to
skillfully hint at the story’s theme and to reveal some aspects of the
various characters.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: SETTING

Gather up a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts. Students should go
through the selected texts and write two sentences about each that
identify the settings of each. The sentences should make clear where
and when the stories take place.

3. CHARACTER

A
story’s
charact
ers are
the
doers
of the
actions
.
Charac
ters

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most
often
take
human
form
but, on
occasio
n, a
story
can
employ
animal
s,
fantasti
cal
creatur
es, and
even
inanim
ate
objects
as
charact
ers. 

Some
charact
ers are dynamic and change over the course of a story, while others are
static and do not grow or change as a result of the action of the story.

There are many different types of characters to be found in works of

literature and each serves a different function.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the most important of these.

Protagonist

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The protagonist is the story’s main character. The story’s plot centers
around this character and they are usually sympathetic and likable for
the reader, that is, they are most often the ‘hero’ of the story.

Antagonist

The antagonist is the bad guy or girl of the piece. Most of the action of
the plot is borne of the conflict between the protagonist and the
antagonist. 

Flat Character

Flat characters are one-dimensional characters that are purely functional

in the story. They are more a sketch than a detailed portrait and they
help move the action along by serving a simple purpose. We aren’t
afforded much of an insight into the interior lives of such characters.

Rounded Character

Unlike flat characters, rounded characters are more complex and drawn
in more detail by the writer. As well as being described in comprehensive
physical detail, we will gain an insight into the character’s interior life,
their hopes, fears, dreams, and desires, etc.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: SETTING

Choose a play that has been studied in class. Students should look at the
character list and then categorize each of the characters according to
the types listed above: protagonist, antagonist, flat character, or rounded
character. As an extension, can the students identify whether each
character is dynamic or static by the end of the tale?

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4: POINT OF VIEW

Point of
view in
literature
refers to
the
perspecti
ve
through
which
you
experien
ce the
events of
the
story. 

There are
various
advantag
es and
disadvan
tages to
the
different
points of
view
available
for the writer to choose from, but they can all be usefully categorized
according to whether they’re first person, second person, or third-person
points of view.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the most common points of view in
each of these categories.

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First Person

The key to recognizing this point of view lies in the use of pronouns such
as I, me, my, we, us, our, etc. There are several different variations of the
first-person narrative, but they all have a single person narrating the
events of the story either as it unfolds, or in the past tense.

When considering a first-person narrative, the first question to ask is

who is the person telling the story. Let’s take a look at two main types of
the first-person point of view.

First Person Protagonist: This is when the main character of the story
relates the action first hand as he or she experiences or experienced it.
As the narrator is also the main character, the reader is placed right at
the center of the action and sees events unfold through the main
character’s own eyes.

First Person Periphery: In this case, we see the story unfold, not the main
character’s POV, but from the perspective of a secondary character who
has limited participation in the story itself.

Second Person: This perspective is uncommon. Though it is hard to pull

off without sounding corny, you will find it in some books such as those
Choose Your Own Adventure type books. You can recognize this
perspective through the use of the 2nd person pronoun ‘you’.

Third Person Limited: From this perspective, we see events unfold from
the point of view of one person in the story. As the name suggests, we
are limited to seeing things from the perspective of the third person
narrator and do not gain insight into the internal life of the other
characters, other than through their actions as described by the third-
person narrator (he, she, they, etc).

Third Person Omniscient: The great eye in the sky! The 3rd person
omniscient narrator, as the name suggests, knows everything about
everyone. From this point of view, nothing is off-limits. This allows the
reader to peek behind every curtain and into every corner of what is
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going on as the narrator moves freely through time and space, jumping
in and out of the characters’ heads along the way.

Advantages and Disadvantages

As we’ve mentioned there are specific advantages and disadvantages to

each of the different points of view. While the third person omniscient
point of view allows the reader full access to each character, the third-
person limited point of view is great for building tension in a story as the
writer can control what the reader knows and when they know it.

The main advantage of the first-person perspective is that it puts the

reader into the head of the narrator. This brings a sense of intimacy and
personal detail to the story.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: POINT OF VIEW

Take a scene from a story or a movie that the student is very familiar
with (again, fairytales can serve well here). Students must rewrite the
scene from each of the different POV listed above: first-person
protagonist, first-person periphery, second-person, third-person limited,
and third-person omniscient. Finally, discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of writing the scene from each POV. Which works best
and why?

THE STORY TELLERS BUNDLE OF

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Complete Story Writing Units
Elements of Story Writing Introductory Unit

Creating great Characters & Setting

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Story Elements Unit Advanced

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5: THEME

If the
plot
refers
to what
happen
s in a
story,
then
the
theme
is to do
with
what
these
events
mean. 

The
theme
is the
big
ideas
that are
explore
d in a
work of
literatur
e. These are most often universal ideas that transcend the limits of

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culture, ethnicity, or language. The theme is the deeper meaning behind

the events of the story.

Importantly, the theme of a piece of writing is not to be confused with its

subject. While the subject of a text is what it is about, the theme is more
to do with how the writer feels about that subject as conveyed in the
writing.

It is also important to note that while all works of literature have a theme,
they never state that theme explicitly. Although many works of literature
deal with more than one theme, it’s usually possible to detect a main
theme amid the minor ones.

The most commonly asked question about themes from students is

‘How do we work out what the theme is?’ 

The truth is, how easy or how difficult it will be to detect a work’s theme
will vary greatly between different texts. The ease of identification will
depend largely on how straightforward or how complex the work is.

To identify the theme, students should look out for symbols and motifs
within the text. Especially symbols and motifs that repeat. 

Students further need to understand that symbols are when one thing is
used to stand for another. While not all symbols are related to the theme
of the text, when symbols are used repeatedly or found in a cluster, they
usually relate to a motif. This motif will in turn relate to the theme of the
work.

Of course, this leads to the question: What exactly is a motif?

A motif is a recurring idea or an element that has symbolic significance.

Uncovering this significance will reveal the theme to a careful reader.

We can further understand the themes as concepts and statements.

Concepts are the broad categories or issues of the work, while

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statements are the position the writer takes on those issues as expressed
in the text.

Here are some examples of thematic concepts commonly found in

literature:

Love
Revenge
Justice
Betrayal
Jealousy
Forgiveness

When discussing the theme of a work in any detail, identifying the

thematic concept will not be enough. Students will need to explore what
the thematic statements are in the text. That is, they need to identify the
opinions the writer expresses on the thematic concepts in the text.

For example, we might identify that a story is about forgiveness, that is,
that forgiveness is the primary thematic concept. When we identify
what the work says about forgiveness, such as forgiveness is necessary
for a person to move on with their life, we are identifying a thematic
statement.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: THEME

Again, choose familiar stories to work with. For each story identify and
write down both the thematic concept and the thematic statement. For
more complex stories, there may be multiple themes that need to be
identified.

AN EXCELLENT VIDEO TUTORIAL ON STORY ELEMENTS

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6: TONE

Tone
refers to
how the
theme is
treated in
a work.
Two
works
may have
the same
theme,
but each
may
adopt a
different
tone in
dealing
with that
theme.
For
example,
the tone
of a text

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can be
serious,
comical,
formal,
informal,
gloomy,
joyful,
sarcastic,
or
sentimen
tal, to
name but
eight.

The tone
that the
writer
adopts
influences
how the
reader
reads that
text. It
informs
how the
reader
will feel about the characters and events described. 

Tone helps to create the mood of the piece and gives life to the story as a
whole.

PRACTICE ACTIVITY: TONE

Find examples of texts that convey each of the 8 tones listed above:
serious, comical, formal, informal, gloomy, joyful, sarcastic, and
sentimental. Give 3 examples from each text that convey that specific
tone. The examples can be drawn from direct quotations of the narrative
or dialogue, or from a commentary on the structure of the text.

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Conclusion:

Though the essential elements of literature are few in number, they can
take a lifetime to master. The more experience a student gains in
creating and analyzing texts with reference to these elements, the more
adept they will become in their use.

Time invested in this area will reap rich rewards in terms of the skill with
which a student can craft a text and also in the level of enjoyment and
meaning they can derive from their reading. 

Time well spent, for sure.

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