NOTES ON ELEMENTS OF NOVEL/DRAMA

PLOT:

A plot is the sequence of events that make up a story. It gives the story character development,
suspense, energy, and catharsis. Through its many types, a plot shows how a story develops, unfolds, and
moves in time. It allows an author to develop themes and most importantly, conflict that makes a story
emotionally engaging. A plot, also known as a storyline, includes the most significant events of a story and
how characters and their problems change over time.
For example, Cinderella has a well-knit plot. The story, in which the protagonist undergoes a change
from rags to riches, has exposition introducing characters and a setting of place and time. The rising action
presents a conflict between the protagonist and her antagonists. Then comes the climax where the prince
rescues the protagonist, and resolves the conflict by marrying her.
For Example, King Lear introduces a tragic plot full of internal and external conflicts. The aging
king of Britain decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three
daughters. First, however, he puts his daughters through a test, asking each to tell him how much she loves
him. Unable to believe that his beloved daughters are betraying him, Lear slowly goes insane.

SETTING:

Setting is the time and place – when and where – of a narrative or a dramatic piece. It is usually
introduced during the exposition (beginning) of a story. It may also include the environment of the story
constituting physical location, climate, weather, or social and cultural surroundings. However, the setting of
a story can change throughout the plot.
For example, the general setting of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is ancient Scotland, and the setting of the
scene in which Macbeth comes upon the witches is a damned plain. However, the setting of Ervine’s
Progress remains unchanged. It is the study room of the antagonist of the play in a remote village in the
North of England on a spring day in the year 1919.
For example, the setting of “Lord of the Flies” is an uninhabited island where a plane carrying a
number of children crashes.
Setting is important for it gives context to the characters’ actions in a story line. It can also create the
mood of the reader. Without a setting, readers and viewers cannot follow a story plot.

CHARACTER:

A character is a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story. Writers use characters to perform
the actions and speak dialogue, moving the story along a plot line.
Characters may be of two types; major and minor. Major characters include protagonists and
antagonists.
 Protagonist – This is the main character, around which the whole story revolves. The decisions made
by this character will be affected by a conflict from within, or externally through another character.
 Antagonist – This character causes the conflict for the protagonist.
Minor characters are not as important as the major characters, but still play a large part in the story.
Their actions help drive the story forward. Major characters will usually be more dynamic, changing and
growing through the story while minor characters may be more static.

POINT OF VIEW:

The term point of view refers to who is telling a story, or who is narrating it. Point of view is
important in a story because it helps the reader understand characters’ feelings and actions. Each character
will have his or her own perspective, so whoever is telling the story will impact the reader’s opinion of other
characters and events.
 The narration of a story or a novel can be told in three main ways: first person, second person, and
third person.
 First person: Here we see events through the eyes of the character telling the story.
 Second person: In second person, the narrator is speaking to YOU. This isn’t very common in
fiction. We see second-person point of view mostly in poems, speeches, etc.
 Third person: With third-person point of view, the narrator is describing what’s seen, but as a
spectator. If the narrator is a character in the story, then we are reading what he or she observes as
the story unfolds. This narrator has three possible perspectives.
o Limited – In limited third-person, the narrator sees only what’s in front of him/her, a
spectator of events as they unfold and unable to read any other character’s mind.
o Omniscient – An omniscient narrator sees all, much as an all knowing god of some kind. He
or she sees what each character is doing and can see into each character’s mind.
o Limited Omniscient – The limited omniscient third-person narrator can only see into one
character’s mind. He/she might see other events happening, but only knows the reasons of
one character’s actions in the story.
For example, the story ‘From mother….with love’ is written from first and third person perceptive.
The story starts with an unknown narrator in a third person perceptive, but as it further proceeds; we find
first person point of view as well.

CLIMAX:

Climax is the highest point of tension or drama in a plot. Often, climax is also when the main problem of
the story is faced and solved by the main character. Climax is considered an absolutely necessary element of plot
without which a story lacks excitement.. Beyond basic stories, climax is an essential element of many poems, movies,
plays etc
For example, in the novel Life of Pi, a boy, Pi, loses his entire family in a shipwreck and must
survive on a lifeboat with wild animals. Pi struggles, but in the process, realizes the power of the will to live.
The climax of the story comes when his boat at last lands in Mexico and he is rescued. Pi’s physical struggle
ends, and he gains personal and spiritual strength, having survived the ordeal.

ANTI-CLIMAX:

An anticlimax is a conclusion that is unsatisfying because it is does not meet the expectations that
the narrative has been building toward. An anticlimax is similar to a climax in that it occurs at the height of
tension in a narrative. However, a climax is a turning point which begins to solve the main conflict in a
satisfying way, whereas an anticlimax is a turning point that is unsatisfying.
For example, William Shakespeare used an anticlimax example in his comedy Much Ado About
Nothing in that the bad guy Borachio suddenly repents for his villainy and stops anything else bad from
happening.
For example, in the novel “Signs”, the aliens that have come to take over planet Earth turn out to be
unable to touch water and all die without need of human intervention.