Fiction

Characteristics
Fiction
 Stories that are
imagined or invented;
they are not factual
 Usually written to
entertain, although
some can teach us
lessons
How Does Fiction Look?
 Written in sentences
and paragraphs
 Can be organized in
chapters
 Usually written in
short story or novel
Characteristics of Fiction
 Characters  Tone
 Setting  Mood
 Conflict  Theme
 Plot  Foreshadowing
– Short stories usually  Flashback
have one main plot
– Novels contain one
 Irony
main plot and many  Symbolism
subplots
 Point of View
 Dialogue/Dialect
Characters
 protagonist -the
leading character,
hero, or heroine
 antagonist -the
character who
struggles against the
leading character
Setting
 Time and place of a
story
 This can change
throughout the story
 Setting can help
readers better
understand the
characters or the plot
Conflict
 The struggle between
a character and some
other force in a story;
the problem that must
be solved
 3 main types:
-man v. man
-man v. nature
-man v. self
Plot
 Plot-the organization
of the main events in a
story
 There are five parts to
Climax
a plot: n
tio

Fa
A c

llin
in g
R is

Acg
tio
n
Exposition
Resolution
Point of View
 Describes who tells the
story and how it is being
told
 The perspective of the
narrator/character telling
the story can greatly
influence the mood and
understanding of a story
 There are two main points
of view
 First Person Third Person
Point of view Point of view
 the narrator is a character  the narrator does not
participating in the action of participate in the action of
the story the story as one of the
 When reading stories in the characters
first person, the information  The narrator is able to
the narrator is thinking or explain the perspectives of
saying might not be the whole more than one character in
truth the story, and can let us
 We should question the know exactly how the
trustworthiness of his/her characters feel
statements and thoughts,
because other characters
 we learn about the
might have a different characters through this
perspective or opinion outside voice
Dialogue/Dialect
Howdy,
ya’ll!
 DIALOGUE
-the talking that takes
place between characters
 DIALECT
-changes in language
based on geographical
(where we’re from) or
social (the people we hang
out with) differences
 Tone
I wandered, lonely as a cloud
That floats on high over valleys and
hills,  The attitude that an author
When all at once I saw a crowd, takes toward the audience,
A group of golden daffodils;
the subject, or the character.
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.  The manner in which the
How would this be read? What words would be spoken out
would the speaker’s tone be?
loud (sarcastically, angrily,
Grass covers the ground-- happily)
the hair of the dead
No creature lurks here
 Tone can be inferred from
And trees hide their faces an author or speaker’s
from the evil that stalks words, and the intent
And the moon tries in vain How (purpose) behind the words
to reflect light on the dark about
places this one?
It is silent.
Mood

 The atmosphere or
feeling the writer
creates for the reader
 The characters’
actions and the setting
greatly influence a
story’s mood
Theme
 The message, or central
idea, of a piece of
literature
 The theme of a fable is its
moral. The theme of some
other pieces of fiction is
its view about life and
how people behave.
 Some examples are
friendship, treating others
the way you want to be
treated, or equality
Examples of Fiction
 Realistic fiction
– Mysteries
– Adventure
 Historical fiction
 Science fiction
 Fantasy
 Folklore
– Myths
– Fables
 Graphic novels
*these examples can be
either short stories or novels
Realistic Fiction

 A made up story
that could have
really happened.
Historical Fiction

 A made up story
that is set in the
past and includes
facts about past
events, places or
people.
Science Fiction
 Characters could be real, but
also could include beings only
associated with science (ex.
robots or aliens)
 The setting is usually in the
distant future or on another
planet
 The events sometimes seem
possible only through future
scientific discovery, and
involve advanced technologies
that could exist by that time
Fantasy

 A made up story
containing
imaginary
creatures such as
elves, fairies and
giants or about
magic.
Folklore

 Stories, customs,
and beliefs that
are passed from
one generation to
the next.
Graphic Novel
Please answer the following question in a
short paragraph in your Notebooks.

Think about a fiction novel that you have read

recently that you really enjoyed. Please
explain what type of “fiction” novel it is, and
what the novel was about. Be sure you
include information about the stories major
conflict and characters.
Identity of Book
Title
Writer
Page
what do you like the most?
What don’t you like the most?
Which part do you like? Why?
Your suggestions.