Unit 1: Introduction to Fiction

Genre is a type or category of literary composition, such as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

The genre known as fiction includes any work of prose (writing other than poetry and drama) that tells an invented or imaginary story.

The genre known as fiction includes any work of prose (writing other than poetry and drama) that tells an invented or imaginary story.

A short story is a brief work of fiction. A good short story is crafted carefully to develop a plot, a conflict, characters, a setting, a mood, and a theme, all within relatively few pages.

The novel, a close cousin of the short story, is a long work of fiction. A novel typically features an involved plot, many characters, and numerous settings.

The plot is the series of events related to a central conflict, or struggle. Typically, the plot introduces a conflict, develops it, and eventually resolves it.

The exposition, or introduction, sets the tone or mood, introduces the characters and setting, and provides necessary background information.

In the rising action, the conflict is developed and intensified.

The climax is the high point of interest or suspense, and the falling action consists of all the events that follow the climax.

The climax is the high point of interest or suspense, and the falling action consists of all the events that follow the climax.

The resolution, or dénouement, is the point at which the central conflict is ended, or resolved.

Point of view is the vantage point from which the story is told.

The one who tells a story is the narrator.

In first-person point of view, the story is told by someone who participates in or witnesses the action; this person uses words such as I and we in telling the story.

In third-person point of view, the narrator usually stands outside the action and observes, using words such as he, she, it, and they.

The characters are the individuals that take part in the action of a story.

The protagonist is the main character in a literary work, whereas the antagonist is the character or force in conflict with the protagonist.

The protagonist is the main character in a literary work, whereas the antagonist is the character or force in conflict with the protagonist.

Characterization is the act of creating or describing a character. Writers create characters using three major techniques: showing what characters say, do, or think; showing what other characters say or think about them; and describing what physical features, dress, and personality the characters display.

The setting of a literary work is the time and place in which it occurs, together with all the details used to create a sense of a particular time and place.

Setting helps establish a context and a mood. Mood, or atmosphere, is the emotion created in the reader by part or all of a story.

The theme is the central idea or perception about life that is revealed through a literary work.

A stated theme is presented directly, whereas an implied theme must be inferred.

Style is the manner in which something is said or written.

A writer’s style is characterized by such elements as word choice (or diction), sentence structure and length, and other recurring features that distinguish his or her work from that of another.

Irony is the difference between appearance and reality—in other words, what seems to be and what really is.