Literary Elements

Literary Elements

by Sydney Palmer

​Plot Pyramid/Diagram

• ​Exposition: background information in a story or narrative including setting, characters backstories, and other introductory information

• ​Rising Action: made up of a series of events that build conflict and create tension which lead to the climax

​Plot Pyramid/ Diagram

• ​Climax: The highest point of interest where the conflict is usually resolved

• ​Falling action: This part of the story leads up to the ending. It involves the events after the climax.

• ​Resolution: ties up all the loose ends and shows what happens to the characters after the story is resolved.

Multiple Choice

This part of the story gives the reader the setting and other introductory information.

• Rising action

• Climax

• Falling Action

• Resolution

• Exposition

Multiple Choice

What part of the pyramid is labeled #3

• Resolution

• Climax

• Exposition

• Rising action

Multiple Choice

Which part of the plot pyramid is labeled #4?

• Rising action

• Falling Action

• Climax

• Exposition

Open Ended

What is the climax of your favorite book or movie?

Example: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone the climax is Harry Facing Voldemort and stealing the stone.

Multiple Choice

The highest point of interest where the conflict is usually resolved is called the

• climax

• resolution

• exposition

• falling action

​Protagonist and Antagonist

• ​Protagonist: the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.

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• ​Antagonist: usually a character or characters that oppose the story's main character

Multiple Choice

In Cinderella the Evil Stepmother would be the

• Antagonist

• Protagonist

Multiple Choice

Cinderella is the _______ in the movie Cinderella.

• Protagonist

• Antagonist

Open Ended

Think of one example of a character that is a protagonist in a movie, book, or TV show that you enjoy.

Open Ended

Who is the antagonist in that same movie, book or TV show.

​Types of Conflict

​Character vs. Character (external conflict): Two characters struggling against one another. Can be physical, with words,etc. Example: Batman vs. The Joker

Character vs. Self (internal conflict): Internal struggle usually between what is right and what is wrong example:

Character vs. Society (External conflict): Character is at odds or against society or what is expected of them. 

Ex: Hunger Games 

Character vs. Nature (External conflict): when a character faces resistance from a natural force.This can mean the weather, the wilderness, or a natural disaster.

Example: Getting stranded on a dessert​

Multiple Choice

What type of Conflict is this?

When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island,

• Character vs. Character

• Character vs. Self

• Character vs. Nature

• Character vs. Society

Multiple Choice

What type of Conflict is this?

In the movie Shrek, Shrek struggles against all human beings, who consider him a horrid and mean outcast.

• Character vs.

  Character

• Character vs. Self

• Character vs. Society

• Character vs. Nature

Multiple Choice

This is an example of what type of conflict ?

The Avengers battling Thanos to stop him from bringing stability to the universe by wiping out half of all life at every level.

• Character vs. Society

• Character vs. Character

• Character vs. Nature

• Character vs. Self

Open Ended

Write one example of character vs. character conflict that you can think of in a book, movie, or TV show.

Multiple Choice

Dorothy and her family getting caught up in a twister that knocks her unconscious. What type of conflict is this?

• Character vs. Character

• Character vs. Self

• Character vs. Society

• Character vs. Nature

Multiple Choice

Rapunzel struggles with the decision to escape her tower and earn her freedom but it would hurt her mother who has taken care of her her whole life. What type of conflict is this?

• Character vs. Self

• Character vs. Character

• Character vs. Nature

• Character vs. Society

​Plot and Subplot

​Plot: The plot is where you'll find the story's theme or main idea.

• ​Involve the main characters (protagonist and antagonist)

​

Sub- Plot : Sub-plot is a secondary plot (or side story) that is unfolding in your story.

​

• ​taking up less of the action,

• having fewer significant events occur with less impact on the "world" of the work story

• occurring to less important characters.

Multiple Choice

A romance occurring between two of the lesser characters in a story about world domination would be considered the

• Plot

• Sub-plot

Multiple Choice

The worldbuilding storyline of how one man tries to save the world would be the ___________ of a movie

• plot

• sub- plot

Open Ended

Think of a movie or tv show you have watched. What was the plot ?

Open Ended

What was one sub- plot of that movie or TV show?