Elements of PlotMrs. Snyder

August 27, 2014

What is Plot?

Plot is the literary element that describes the structure of a story. It shows an arrangement of events and actions within a story.

Types of linear plots (line plots):◦Chronological order (first, next, then, last)◦Flashback◦In media res (in the middle of things)

Plot Diagram

Elements of Plot

1. Exposition (introduction): the start of the story; the situation before the action starts.

2. Rising Action: the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax.

3. Climax: the turning point; major conflicts erupt in some kind of final showdown (fight, argument, violent or physical action, very tense emotional moment, etc.); at the end of the climax, the “winner” will be clear (but there is not always a winner).

Elements of Plot Continued

4. Falling Action: all the action that follows the climax; a kind of “cleaning up”.

5. Resolution: the conclusion; tying together of all the threads; the “happily ever after” in fairy tales.

Setting

The time and place that a story happens is called setting.

◦Example: The setting of Family Guy is modern day in Quahog, Rhode Island.

Mood

Mood is the feeling you get from reading a piece of literature.

◦Example: the mood of many stories about the witches in Salem is dark and eerie. Why?

Character

A Protagonist is the leading character, hero, or one of the major characters in a fictional text, who is involved in a competition, conflict, or cause.

◦Example: Homer Simpson, Batman, Peter Griffin

Character

An Antagonist is a character who acts against or opposes the Protagonist, and often causes conflict.

◦Example: Ned Flanders, Bane, Stewie Griffin

Conflict

Conflict is a dramatic struggle between two forces in the story. Without conflict, there is no plot. The conflict usually arises in the rising action.

Types of Conflict

1. External Conflict: a conflict or struggle that happens outside of the character.

a. man vs. man

b. man vs. nature

c. man vs. society

Types of Conflict

2. Internal conflict: a conflict or struggle that happens within the character’s mind or heart.

a. man vs. self