Elements of Fiction

ELEMENTS OF FICTION & TERMINOLOGY
Setting
• where and when? All action in fiction as in the real world, take place in a context or setting- a time and place and a social environment or milieu.
Narration (first person, third person, objective, limited, omniscient)
      • First person narrative- is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by only one character at a time, who explicitly refers to him- or herself
    •   Third person- a character, "he" or "she," who "tells" the story; may have either a limited point of view or an omniscient point of view; may also be an unreliable narrator.
    • Objective narration- The level of film narration from the viewpoint of the viewer (of a person outside of the characters and story of the film)
      • Limited- A narrator that is only able to narrate those things he or she experiences firsthand, having no direct knowledge of other characters' thoughts. only able to peer into the mind of one character.
• Omniscient narration- The omniscient narrator has a full knowledge of the story's events and of the motives and unspoken thoughts of the various characters

Point of View- a way the events of a story are conveyed to the reader, it is the “vantage point” from which the narrative is passed from author to the reader. The point of view can vary from work to work.
Symbolism / symbol- A person or place that represents more than its general literal meaning. A symbol is more than a passing comparison (such as a simile)
Allusion- a narrative that serves as an extended metaphor. Allegories are written in the form of fables, parables, poems, stories, and almost any other style or genre. The main purpose of an allegory is to tell a story that has characters, a setting, as well as other types of symbols that have both literal and figurative meanings. The difference between an allegory and a symbol is that an allegory is a complete narrative that conveys abstract ideas to get a point across, while a symbol is a... [continues]

Read full essay