Elements of Fiction

Definition of Fiction

Fiction is a form of literature which involves narratives or stories constructed from the writer's imagination rather than representing external facts. Fiction may rely on facts which come from a writer's experience, but they will be presented in writing as though they are part of the world represented in the story. Novels tend to be longer in length than short stories, but both make use of several elements which are described below.

Elements of Fiction You Should Know

Character

Character refers to the individuals involved in a story and revolves around everything that is part of who they are. In trying to analyze the characters in a story think about what the story tells you about their personalities, what they care about, what makes them happy or sad, how they respond to things that happen to them, what they value or consider important. Than ask how this knowledge influences your understanding of the story. Lieutenant Blandford is essentially an honorable man. He's got pride: he's willing to fudge a bit on his age, but he is true to his word; when he meets the beautify young woman he's tempted but doesn't yield.

Plot

Plot is essentially what happens in the story. It is the sequence of events in the story. The author will have carefully considered how and in what order to relate information to the reader, whether starting at the beginning and moving through the events in the order they happened, or starting at the end and reflecting back on the story, or starting at some point in the middle of the story and moving back forth in time. Plot also refers to what scenes or moments the author chooses to related. James Thurber tells us certain moments in Walter Mitty's life which illustrate how he escapes into his imagination. Thurber could have told us what Mitty had for breakfast, but this was unimportant to the story. When thinking about plot ask why the author chose these particular moments and why they occur in this particular order.

Setting

Setting refers to where the story happens. Setting may involve historical time period, geographical location, time of day or year. It may be extremely well discussed and described, or may only be suggested. In some stories no clear setting is suggested, but in this case, setting does not figure heavily in the story. When Lieutenant Blandford agrees to meet Hollis Maynell in the train station, the setting suggests a degree of commitment that has some room for negotiation. Blandford and Maynell meet publicly; they are not committing themselves to each other either can leave if they wish. In fact, the setting makes Blandford's decision to go through with his appointment that much more significant since he could have left and no one would have known. When discussing setting ask how or why the place or time that a story is set is important.

Theme

Theme is the underlying notion of what the story is about. It is the message that the writer wished to convey. In stories like Jesus's parables the theme is clear: Jesus is conveying a message about the nature of the Kingdom of God. In other stories the theme may be less apparent; in "Appointment with Love" the theme is honor and devotion to one's word or the strength of love. In "May Who Had No Eyes" the author suggests that if you have enough dedication, you can overcome all obstacles. After reading a story ask yourself what the author may have wished you to believe, accept, know, or understand about the story.

Point of View

Point of view refers to the perspective from which a story is told.. Four points of view are possible:

First Person is a story told from the "I" perspective. The speaker tells the story, thus everything that happens in the story is perceived by only this person. This person may make conjectures about what other characters are thinking, but will not know for sure. We will know what other characters are doing only if this character does. This character will not know what's happening across town, so the writer won't tell us.
Epistolary refers to stories composed of a series of letters. Everything we know about the characters comes from letters that they have written to each other. Not many stories are composed from this point of view, but it can be a powerful way to tell a story because the writers of the letters may actually seem more honest to us because they're writing letters.
The Omniscient perspective is the God perspective; the writer functions as God in the story, knowing what every character is thinking, feeling, or doing. A story written from this perspective allows the author to tell you what one character on one side of town is doing, then switch to another character on the other side of town.
The Stream of consciousness perspective puts the reader directly into the character's mind and reveals what the character thinks as she thinks. This way of writing may seem confusing to a reader but it can provide remarkable insight into a character's thoughts and feelings.

Symbol

A story can be a symbol of reality, but elements in the story can have their own meanings. Symbol refers to elements of a story that have meaning above and beyond themselves. In the story, "A Man Who Had No Eyes," each man carries a cane, but the type of cane suggests something about the nature of the man who uses it; thus the cane becomes a symbol of the man or something about the man. When looking at the story, examine how objects in the story, the musical instrument or the wind in "Hamlet" or Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" for instance, may stand for something else.

These terms can provide you with a language to use when discussing literary works. Other terms are likely to emerge as the class progresses. You may read more about these terms in your textbook in the literature chapter which begins on page 204.