1

Elements of Fiction
by Lic. Eduardo Gemetto

Meaningful Categories

There are seven principal categories to deal with as a first approach to the analysis of any literary
work, especially in the discussion of novels and short stories. These categories are: plot, character,
setting, atmosphere, theme, style, and point of view.

Plot (or action): It may be defined as the framework of the story. Plot is what happens. In the plot
we may distinguish the following elements:

a) Situation
b) Complication
c) Climax
d) Outcome

a) Situation: It is the initial set of circumstances, out of which the story develops. Closely
connected with the situation, there must be a conflict, a struggle which may be physical or mental. It
may be an inner conflict between two characters, or a conflict between the character and the
surroundings.

b) Complication: The second element of the plot, which is the getting into trouble. Somebody or
something interferes with the main character’s wishes or destiny.

c) Climax: It is the highest peak of intensity, the highest point of the story. There may be more
than one peak of interest and suspense. The climax will be the highest peak and it will occur near
the end.

d) Outcome: It should follow swiftly after the climax. In the outcome the suspense subsides and
comes to rest. Either the character gets what s/he wants and the ending is satisfactory, or s/he does
not, and the ending is an unhappy one.

Character: One of the new trends in modern fiction is the growing importance given to
characterization. One of the reasons for this is the development of psychoanalysis, at the beginning
of the 20th century. From the psychological point of view we can divide the characters into two
groups:

1) Flat characters: They have only one single trait. They are not fully developed, only one side of
his/her personality is shown.

2) Round characters: They have a number of traits which make them seem closer to life, to
human beings.

We can also classify characters according to their importance into: main, secondary and minor
characters.

a) Main characters: They are central to the story. All the action revolves around them.
 2

b) Secondary characters: They affect or influence the lives of the main characters.

c) Minor characters: They have a functional role. They very seldom affect the lives of the main
characters.

Setting: Setting includes time, place, occupations, and social conditions. The writer usually states
important features of the setting near the beginning of the story, and further details may be brought
in as the story progresses.

Atmosphere: It is the overall feeling that pervades the story. The atmosphere may be one of
horror, suspense, mystery, tension, etc. Sometimes it is too intangible to be expressed in words.

Theme: It is the starting point of the story. It is an idea, which the author wishes to illustrate, and
around which s/he builds a plot. All stories have a theme, no matter how hidden it is. It is expressed
in terms of abstract nouns. We speak of the theme of ‘friendship’, ‘love’, ‘loneliness’, ‘revenge’,
etc.

Style: It is the sense of one’s self, the knowledge of what one wants to say, and the saying of it in
the most fitting words. The writer’s style is then inseparable from his/her thoughts and his/her
expression of those thoughts. Consequently all writers have a style.

Point of View: It is bound up with who tells the story. It represents the angle from which the
events are seen or narrated. We may distinguish three main points of view:

1) Omniscient point of view: The author tells the story in the third person (he, she, they). The
narrator knows everything about everyone in the story. S/he may comment on the story, make
asides, even address the reader.

2) 1st person point of view: In this case the writer must decide whether the ‘I’ is to be a major or a
minor character, or an observer, or someone merely repeating a story s/he has heard at second hand.

3) Objective point of view: Also a third person narrative, but the narrator does not make asides or
comments on the action. S/he does not address the reader either. S/he just reports without
interpreting. His/her view is limited. This narrator, as opposed to the omniscient narrator, does not
know everything.