Elemets of

Fiction
Reporter: Bartolome, Marilyn
C.
BSED 2E
Characters
Characters, the "actors" in a story, are another
element of fiction vital to the enjoyment of a story. A
well-portrayed character can become a friend, a role
model, or a temporary parent to a child reader.
Although young readers enjoying the exciting events,
the characters involved in those events must matter to
the reader or the events no longer seem important.
How character are depicted and how they develop in
the course of the story are important to the reader.
There are two aspects to consider in studying a
character which are:
CHARACTERIZATION CHARACTER
DEVELOPMENT
• The way of an author • It refers to the changes,
helps the reader to know a good or bad, the character
character. undergoes during the course
of an event in the story of the
• The author can describe result of the conflict or
the character's physical conflicts that the person
appearance and encounters.
personality.
• The portrayal of people in a
• A process by which the work of fiction in such a way
writer reveals the that the reader or audience
personality of the seems to learn more about
character. them as they develop.
Protagonists
- central to the main plot
- "story's main character"
- They are around characters with whom readers
sympathize.
- Most often, protagonists take the form of a "lonely hero"
or one person who must take the brunch of the struggle and
sacrifices in order to reach his or her goal.

Minor or Secondary
- A character who has a name and does stuff that
contributes to the plot, but they aren't the main characters.
- generally flat, stereotypical and not of central importance
to the plot.
Round Character
- Is anyone who has a complex personality; he or she
is often portrayed as a conflicted and contradictory
person.
- He or she change in some important way as the story
unfolds itself and stands out.

Flat Character
- These are the minor characters in a work of fiction
who do not undergo substantial change or growth in
the course of a story.
- The opposite of a round character.
- Notable for one kind of personality trait or
characteristic.
Foil Character
- Is someone who possesses the opposite traits of a
main character, often the protagonist. The purpose of
the foil is to serve as a contrast, which can help out the
main character's best traits.

Antagonist
- Is the character that represents the opposition against
which the protagonist must contend.
- He or she should also be a round character.
Theme
- The main idea of the story.
- A theme is better expressed by means of a
complete sentence than by single word. Themes in
children's book should be worthy of children's
attention and should convey truth to them.
Futhermore, the themes should be based on high
moral and ethical standards. A theme must not
overpower the plot and characters of the story,
however, children read fiction for enjoyment, not
for enlightenment.
How the theme is revealed?
1. Themes are expressed and emphasized by the way
the writer of the fiction makes the reader feel. By
sharing the feelings of the main character, the writer
can also share the ideas that go through on his or her
mind.

2. The writer can reveal the theme through by thoughts

and conversation of the characters. The writer can
provide clues by expressing his thoughts through the
diologue of the characters.
3. The writer can suggest a theme through the main
characters in the story. The main characters usually
illustrates the most important theme of the story. How
does the main character act? What does the main
character say?

4. The writer can reveal the theme of the story through

the actions or events in the story. The writer of the
fiction needs to consider what an action by the
character will suggest to the reader.
Style
- Style is the way in which an author writes and or
tells a story; it can be viewed as the writing itself, as
opposed to the content of the book. However, the
style must suit the content of the particular book; the
two are intertwined.
Different aspects of styles are considered in
evaluating a work of fiction. Most obviously, you can
look at the words chosen to tell the story.
The sentences may also be considered. The
organization of the book may be considered by noting
the paragraphs and transitions, length of chapters,
headings, and chapter titles, preface, endnotes,
prologue, epilogue, and length of the book.
Chapter titles can provoke interest in what will
follow, as well as provide the reader with clues to
predict story events.
It’s what sets one author apart from another and
creates the “voice” that audiences hear when they
read. There are many important pieces that together
make up a writer’s style; like tone, word choice,
grammar, language, descriptive technique, and so on.
Style is also what determines the mood of a piece of
literature, so its importance is huge across all genres.