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• Fiction is subjective and evocative
• Fiction is "made up" and indirect in its communication
• A work of fiction may evoke:

  • The thrill of imagining impossible or unavailable experiences
  • Intrigue with playing out "what if" or "if only" scenarios
  • Feelings and perceptions of another historical period, or observations on the human condition
• Fiction is the expression of an author's imagination
• Fiction conveys meaning indirectly
• Fiction evokes ideas and feelings indirectly by triggering emotional responses and mental pictures
• Commercial Fiction

  • Intended solely to entertain
  • Includes legal thrillers and romance novels
  • Escapist and formulaic
• Literary Fiction

  • Written with serious artistic intentions
• Elements of Fiction:

  • Conflict: a clash of actions, ideas, desires, or will. Includes Man vs. Himself, Man vs. Man, Man vs. External Force, Man vs. Nature. Protagonist is the central character in a conflict, sympathetic or unsympathetic. Antagonist is any force against the protagonist
  • Suspense, Mystery, Dilemma
  • Ending:

  * Surprise Ending: a sudden, unexpected turn or twist that furnishes meaningful illumination

  * Happy Ending: more common in commercial fiction

  * Unhappy Ending: more common in literary fiction, mirrors real life

  * Indeterminate Ending: no definitive conclusion is reached
• • Artistic Unity: nothing irrelevant in the story. Includes Plot Manipulation, Chance, Coincidence
  • Characterization:

  * Direct Presentation: readers are told straight out what the characters are like

  * Indirect Presentation: the author shows us the characters through their actions

  • Flat Characters: have one or two predominant traits
  • Round Characters: complex and many-sided
  • Stock Characters: stereotyped figures
  • Static Character: does not change during the story
  • Dynamic Character: undergoes distinct change
  • Theme: the controlling idea or central insight
  • Point of View:

  * Omniscient
• * Third Person Limited

  * First Person

  * Objective Point of View

  • Symbol: something that means more than what it suggests on the surface
• Other Key Terms:

  • Allegory: a story with a second meaning beneath the surface
  • Fantasy: nonrealistic story transcending known reality
  • Humor: usually conveyed through Irony
  • Irony: a technique exposing incongruity of character's behavior or society's traditions. Includes Verbal Irony, Dramatic Irony, Situational Irony
  • Sentimentality: contrived or excessive emotion
  • Style: the author's diction, syntax, and linguistic features
  • Theme(s): the central idea in a literary work
• Types of Fiction:

  • Commercial Fiction: attracts a broad audience
  • Literary Fiction: appeals to a smaller, more intellectually adventurous audience
  • Mainstream Fiction: a general term for publishers
• Genres of Fiction:

  • Mystery: focuses on a crime, usually murder. Includes spy, detective, and crime stories
  • Romance: aimed at diverting and entertaining women
  • Women's Fiction: focuses on relationships
  • Science Fiction/Fantasy: depicts distant worlds and futuristic technologies
  • Suspense/Thriller: tense, exciting works with ingenious plotting and continuous suspense
  • Western: novels about America's post Civil War western frontier
  • Horror: filled with fear
  • Young Adult: novels with a protagonist in the 12 to 16 age range
• Fiction is subjective and evocative
• Fiction is "made up" and indirect in its communication
• A work of fiction may evoke:

  • The thrill of imagining impossible or unavailable experiences
  • Intrigue with playing out "what if" or "if only" scenarios
  • Feelings and perceptions of another historical period, or observations on the human condition
• Fiction is by definition subjective and is the expression of an author's imagination
• Fiction conveys meaning indirectly and evokes ideas and feelings indirectly by triggering emotional responses and mental pictures
• Commercial Fiction:

  • Intended solely to entertain
  • Examples: legal thrillers, romance novels
  • Escapist and formulaic
• Literary Fiction:

  • Written with serious artistic intentions
• Fiction is subjective and evocative
• Fiction is "made up" and indirect in its communication
• A work of fiction may evoke:

  • The thrill of imagining impossible or unavailable experiences
  • Intrigue with playing out "what if" or "if only" scenarios
  • Feelings and perceptions of another historical period, or observations on the human condition
• Fiction is by definition subjective and is the expression of an author's imagination
• Elements of Fiction:

  • Conflict: a clash of actions, ideas, desires, or will
  • Types of conflict: Man vs. Himself, Man vs. Man, Man vs. External Force, Man vs. Nature
  • Protagonist: central character in a conflict, sympathetic or unsympathetic
  • Antagonist: any force against the protagonist
  • Suspense, Mystery, Dilemma
• Fiction conveys meaning indirectly and evokes ideas and feelings indirectly by triggering emotional responses and mental pictures
• Commercial Fiction:

  • Intended solely to entertain
  • Includes legal thrillers and romance novels
  • Escapist and formulaic
• Elements of Fiction:

  • Ending types:
  • Surprise Ending: a sudden, unexpected turn or twist that furnishes meaningful illumination
  • Happy Ending: more common in commercial fiction
  • Unhappy Ending: more common in literary fiction, mirrors real life complexities
  • Indeterminate Ending: no definitive conclusion is reached
• Literary Fiction:

  • Written with serious artistic intentions
• Conflict in fiction can be:

  • Man vs. Himself
  • Man vs. Man
  • Man vs. External Force
  • Man vs. Nature
• Protagonist is the central character in a conflict, sympathetic or unsympathetic
• Antagonist is any force against the protagonist
• Suspense, Mystery, and Dilemma are elements of fiction
• Elements of Fiction:

  • Artistic Unity: nothing irrelevant in the story
  • Plot Manipulation: unjustified turn in the plot
  • Chance: occurrence of an event with no apparent cause
  • Coincidence: chance occurrence of two events with a peculiar correspondence
• Elements of Fiction:

  • Characterization:
  • Direct Presentation: readers are told straight out what the characters are like
  • Indirect Presentation: characters are shown through their actions
  • Types of characters: Flat, Round, Stock, Static, Dynamic
• Fiction can have different types of endings:

  • Surprise Ending: a sudden, unexpected turn or twist
  • Happy Ending: more common in commercial fiction
  • Unhappy Ending: more common in literary fiction
  • Indeterminate Ending: no definitive conclusion is reached
• Artistic Unity in fiction requires nothing irrelevant in the story
• Elements of Fiction:

  • Theme: the controlling idea or central insight
  • Point of View types: Omniscient, Third Person Limited, First Person, Objective Point of View
  • Symbol: something that means more than what it suggests on the surface
• Characterization in fiction can be:

  • Flat Characters: have one or two predominant traits
  • Round Characters: complex and many-sided
  • Stock Characters: stereotyped figures
  • Static Character: does not change during the story
  • Dynamic Character: undergoes distinct change