21st Century Literature

from the Philippines and

the World

Module 3

LITERARY
ELEMENTS AND
LITERARY
TECHNIQUES AND
DEVICES
Literary Elements
CHARACTERS

CONFLICT

SETTING

PLOT

THEME

POINT OF VIEW
Characters
ROLES TYPES
Protagonist
Dynamic
Antagonist
Round
Love Interest
Static
Confidant
Stock
Tertiary
Symbolic
Foil
 CHARACTERS - ROLES
• Protagonist: The main character of the story is the protagonist.
They should be carefully crafted with a logical backstory,
personal motivation, and a character arc over the course of the
story.

• Antagonist: The villain of the story is the antagonist.

• Love interest: The love interest is the protagonist’s object of

desire
CHARACTERS - ROLES
• Confidant: This type of character is the best friend or sidekick of the protagonist

• Tertiary characters: Tertiary characters populate the world of the story but do not
necessarily link to the main storyline. These minor characters serve any number of
functions and may have varying degrees of personal dynamism

• Foil: A foil character primarily exists to bring the protagonist’s qualities into
sharper relief. This is because the foil is effectively the opposite of the protagonist
CHARACTERS - TYPES
• Dynamic character: A dynamic character is one who changes over the course of the story.

• Round character: Closely related to a dynamic character, a round character is a major

character who shows fluidity and the capacity for change from the moment we meet them.
By contrast, some dynamic protagonists do not change until actions in the story force that
change.

• Static character: A static character does not noticeably change over the course of a story.
Sometimes known as a flat character. Many villains are also static: They were evil
yesterday, they’ll be evil today, and they’ll be evil tomorrow.
CHARACTERS - TYPES
• Stock character: A stock character is an archetypal character with a fixed set of
personality traits.

• Symbolic character: A symbolic character represents a concept or theme larger than

themselves. They may have dynamic qualities, but they also exist to subtly steer an
audience’s mind toward broader concepts.
Conflicts

INTERNAL EXTERNAL

Character VS Character VS

• Self Character

Nature

Supernatural

Technology

Society
 INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL
• Internal conflict is when a character
struggles with their own opposing desires
or beliefs. It happens within them, and it
drives their development as a character.
• External conflict sets a character against
something or someone beyond their
control. External forces stand in the way
of a character’s motivations and create
tension as the character tries to reach
their goals.
6 TYPES OF LITERARY CONFLICTS
• 1. Character vs. Self

This is an internal conflict, meaning that the opposition the character faces is coming from
within. This may entail a struggle to discern what the moral or “right” choice is, or it may
also encompass mental health struggles. All other types of conflict are external—meaning
that a character comes up against an outside force that creates the conflict.
6 TYPES OF LITERARY CONFLICTS
• 2. Character vs. Character

This is a common type of conflict in which one character’s needs or wants are at odds with
another’s. A character conflict can be depicted as a straightforward fist fight, or intricate and
nuanced.

• 3. Character vs. Nature

In a nature conflict, a character is set in opposition to nature. This can mean the weather, the
wilderness, or a natural disaster
6 TYPES OF LITERARY CONFLICTS
• 4. Character vs. Supernatural

Pitting characters against phenomena like ghosts, gods, or monsters raises the stakes of a
conflict by creating an unequal playing field.

• 5. Character vs. Technology

In this case, a character is in conflict with some kind of technology.

6 TYPES OF LITERARY CONFLICTS
• 6. Character vs. Society

A character vs. society conflict is an external conflict that occurs in literature when the
protagonist is placed in opposition with society, the government, or a cultural tradition or
societal norm of some kind. Characters may be motivated to take action against their society
by a need to survive, a moral sense of right and wrong, or a desire for happiness, freedom,
justice, or love.
Setting
Geographic Location

A story might be set in a real-life, mappable place like a particular city, state, or country, or
it might be set in an imaginary world. Learn more about worldbuilding in our guide here.

Physical Location

A character’s immediate surroundings, like a room or a temple, can be important

information to highlight.
Setting
• Physical environment: A story can be set in the natural world where characters are
affected by weather conditions, climate, and other forces of nature.

• Time period: As a writer, it’s necessary to ask, “When does this story take place?” In
literature, time period can be a historical period but it can also be a season, a time of day,
or time of year.

• Social and cultural environment: The location and time period will dictate the social and
cultural environment in a story. If a short story is set in a high school, there will be
societal norms and trends specific to teenagers. If a story is set in the late 1960s, it might
be set against the cultural backdrop of the Vietnam War.
Plot
• Exposition

In the beginning of the story, exposition introduces the main character, setting, conflict, and
themes.

• Rising Action

The rising action starts right after the period of exposition and ends at the climax. Beginning
with the inciting incident, rising action is the bulk of the plot. It is composed of a series of
events that build on the conflict and increase the tension, sending the story racing to a
dramatic climax.
 Plot
• Climax

The climax of a story happens when the tension reaches a breaking point, forcing the protagonist to face the
antagonist and resolve the conflict once and for all.

• Falling action

After the dramatic confrontation of the climax, the falling action deflates the plot’s tension and gives the
character time to unwind after the emotional scene.

• Resolution

Also called a denouement, the resolution is the end of the story that ties up loose ends. The resolution shows the
main character in their new normal, changed by the events of the story.
Point of View
• First

One of the characters is narrating the story. This is generally revealed by the “I” sentence
construction and relies on first person pronouns. (“I went to work.”) The reader assumes
that this character is closely related to the story’s action—either a main character or
someone close to the protagonist. First person narrative can provide intimacy and a deeper
look into a character’s mind, but it is also limited by the perceptive abilities of the character.
They are confined to report only what they would realistically know about the story, and
they are further confined by their own perspective.
Point of View
• Second

This is structured around the “you” pronoun, and is less common in novel-length work.
(“You thought you could do it.”) Second person can allow you to draw your reader into the
story and make them feel like they’re part of the action because the narrator is speaking
directly to them.
Point of View
• Third

The author is narrating a story about the characters and refers to them with the third person
pronouns “he/she.” (“He was hungry.”) This point of view is subdivided into third person
omniscient and third person limited.
Literary Techniques and Devices
IRONY

I MA G ERY

SYMBOLISM

M E TA P H O R

A L L E G O RY
 Irony
Dramatic

Also known as tragic irony, this is when a writer lets their reader know something that a character does
not.

Comic

This is when irony is used to comedic effect—such as in satire

Situational

This is at play when an expected outcome is subverted

Verbal

This is a statement in which the speaker means something very different from what he or she is saying.
Imagery
• Visual

This engages the sense of sight. This is what you can see, and includes visual descriptions.
Physical attributes including color, size, shape, lightness and darkness, shadows, and shade
are all part of visual imagery.

• Gustatory

It engages the sense of taste. This is what you can taste, and includes flavors. This can
include the five basic tastes—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami—as well as the textures
and sensations tied to the act of eating.
Imagery
• Tactile

It engages the sense of touch. This is what you can feel, and includes textures and the many
sensations a human being experiences when touching something. Differences in temperature
is also a part of tactile imagery.

• Auditory

It engages the sense of hearing. This is the way things sound. Literary devices such as
onomatopoeia and alliteration can help create sounds in writing.
Imagery
• Olfactory

It engages the sense of smell. Scent is one of the most direct triggers of memory and emotion,
but can be difficult to write about. Since taste and smell are so closely linked, you’ll
sometimes find the same words (such as “sweet”) used to describe both. Simile is common in
olfactory imagery, because it allows writers to compare a particular scent to common smells
like dirt, grass, manure, or roses.

• Kinesthetic

It engages the feeling of movement. This can be similar to tactile imagery but deals more with
full-body sensations, such as those experienced during exercise.
Symbolism
Metaphor
• Standard

A standard metaphor is one that compares two unlike things using the basic construction X
is Y.

• Implied

An implied metaphor is a type of metaphor that compares two things that are not alike
without actually mentioning one of those things.
Metaphor
• Visual

A visual metaphor compares one thing to a visual image that suggests an association. Visual
metaphors are commonly used in advertising.

• Extended

An extended metaphor is a version of a metaphor that extends over the course of multiple
lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of prose or poetry. Extended metaphors build upon simple
metaphors with figurative language and more varied, descriptive comparisons.
Different Types of Allegory
• Biblical

Biblical allegory invokes themes from the Bible, and often explores the struggle between good and evil.

• Classical

One of the best known allegories in classical literature is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. In this story, Plato
imagines people living in a cave, only ever seeing objects as shadows reflected on the wall from the light
of a fire—rather than seeing the objects directly.

• Modern

Modern allegory includes many instances of a phenomenon called “allegoresis,” which refers to the
interpretation of works as allegorial without them necessarily being intended that way.
References
• https://www.masterclass.com/articles/guide-to-all-the-types-of-characters-in-literature#7-
character-roles-in-stories