Fiction – is a story of make believe. It is a story made by the author’s creative imagination.
Fiction follows the Freytag’s Pyramid to create an interesting and detailed narrative. Below is an illustration of the story
pyramid which consists also the parts of a plot.
climax
rising action falling action
denouement
exposition
The following are the elements of short story according to Freytag:
1. Exposition – tells about the background of the story. The information can be about the setting, characters’ back
stories, or historical contexts.
2. Rising action – is the part of the story after the characters and setting are introduced and events in the story
begin to reveal probable conflicts that the protagonist must resolve. It also involves events that lead to the
climax of the story.
3. Climax – is the highest point of tension in the story. It is usually the most interesting part.
4. Falling action – is the part of a story after the climax and before the very end.
5. The denouement – is the final outcome of the story and it is where other secrets are revealed, if there is any.
The setting includes the time or period and place where the event happened. The characters are the persons/animals
or any inanimate object that functions as the protagonist, antagonist and other minor entities that perform the actions,
speak dialogue and moving the story along a plot line.
Conflict creates tension in the story and it involves the struggle of between two opposing forces/characters, usually the
protagonist and the antagonist.
Conflict can be internal and external. Internal conflict is a psychological conflict which arises when the character
experiences two opposite emotions (like love and hate, patriotism and devotion) or aspirations ( like career and
marriage, fame and peace of mind) which usually involves good and evil.
External conflict is the struggle of a protagonist against outside forces that hamper his/her progress and hinders
him/her to achieve his/her goal.
Drama a script may only come to existence once it is performed before an audience.
Its basic elements include the literary element
1. A script is a written text of a play. It is consist of the dialogues or words that will be spoken by the actors and the
stage directions which give instructions about the position and movement of the actors and other aspects of the
set.
2. The technical element of a play is complicated. It includes scenery set, make-up, costume, lights, and sound.
3. A scenery set can be chair, a house or a forest and other properties used to identify the location and period of
the dramatic production. Make-up is used in drama to aid the actors in taking the appropriate appearance of
the character they play. Costumes are clothes, garments or attires worn by actors on stage to aid dramatic
actions and interpretations. There various types of lights used on stage. It provides not only visibility of the
actors but also creates and enhance the mood and atmosphere. Sound can be produced by actors or by props,
musical instruments, and recorded music and effects that can help engage the audience and bring them into
another time.
4. Performance element includes acting, character analysis and character motivation. Acting is the enactment of
an actor or actress who portrays a character, character analysis is evaluating the character’s traits, his/her role
in the story, and the conflicts they experience, character motivation is the element that drives the character to
achieve his goal.
The New Genres of Literature
1. Hyperpoetry – it is poetry uploaded in the internet. Its medium is the computer screen.
2. Mobile Textula – it is a short poetry in a form of tanaga, that is sent through SMS on mobile phone. It consists of
4 lines with 7 syllables using (/) to end a line and (//) to end the stanza.
3. Flash Fiction – it is telling a story in a few words, usually about 100-1000 words or less. A flash fiction can be as
short as Earnest Hemingway’s 6-word memoir, “For sale: baby’s shoes: never worn.”
4 . Chick Lit – it is a heroine-centered fiction narrative, usually focus on the trials of the protagonist. Below is an
excerpt of a chick lit taken from Wattpad. One needs to download the Wattpad App and the story to experience
reading chick lit.
5. Blog – a regularly updated web page or website that is written in conversational style.
