Term explanation:

 

✿ Fiction

Fiction is the classification for any story created by the imagination, rather than based strictly on history or facts. Etymologically, the word “fiction” has been derived from a Latin word “fictus” that means, “to form”. Fiction constitutes an act of creative invention, so that faithfulness to reality is not typically assumed; in other words, fiction is not expected to present only characters who are actual people or descriptions that are factually true.

 

An example to portray fiction is, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. It is one of the most famous English novels. It is set in a real-life-like setting. All characters are humans, while no magical or weird event takes place in this novel. All the characters and the whole story of the novel is a made-up narrative. Everything is the outcome of Jane Austen’s imagination. The novel presents a good fiction of actual life of nineteenth century.

✿ Plot

The plot of a story consists of the events that occur during the course of that story and the way in which they are presented to the reader. The plot is also sometimes referred to as the storyline. Aristotle posited that plots must have a beginning, middle, and end, and that each event in the plot causes the next event to happen.

 

There are five main elements in a plot. The first is the exposition or the introduction. This is known as the beginning of the story where characters and setting are established. The second element is the rising action which occurs when a series of events build up to the conflict. The main characters are established by the time the rising action of a plot occurs and at the same time, events begin to get complicated. The third element is the climax or the main point of the plot. This is the turning point of the story and is meant to be the moment of highest interest and emotion. The fourth one is falling action of the story. Events and complications begin to resolve and the result of actions of the main characters are put forward. The last element of a plot is the resolution or the conclusion. It is the end of a story.

 

The Odyssey is one of the original “hero goes on a journey” plots. In Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem, the character Odysseus takes ten years to journey home from the Trojan War to Ithaca, where his wife and son live. Odysseus must navigate many obstacles in The Odyssey, including the curse that the god Poseidon laid on him to wander the seas for a decade before being able to return home. 

✿ Point of View

Point of view is the perspective from which a story is narrated. Every story has a perspective, though there can be more than one type of point of view in a work of literature. The most common points of view used in novels are first person singular (“I”) and third person (“he” and “she”).

 

Notice how William Wordsworth uses the first person point of view to express his subjective feelings about the scene of daffodils in his famous poem “Daffodils.”

 

“I gazed–and gazed–but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought.”

 

The use of the pronoun “I” gives a special quality to the feelings expressed in these lines. The reader can see that the poet has employed first person point of view to share with us his own personal emotions.

✿ Character

A character is an imaginary personage who acts, appears, or is referred to in a literary work. Major or main characters are those that receive most attention, minor characters least. Flat characters are relatively simple, have a few dominant traits, and tend to be predictable. Conversely, round characters are complex and multifaceted and act in a way that readers might not expect but accept as possible. Static characters do not change; dynamic characters do.

 

Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a good example of a dynamic character. At the very beginning of the story, Carton thinks of himself as, “I am a disappointed drudge, sir. I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me.” He throws himself in a depressed state; digging into a hole from where, he thinks, he could never come out. He is frustrated, and thinks his purpose in life is only to serve C.J. Stryver. The only beautiful part of his life is his love for Lucie Manette, hearing her news of marrying Charles Darnay, heartbroken man goes to her and reveals his feelings to her. This conversation brings a turning point in his life and he starts taking care of himself and people around him.

✿ Setting

The setting of a piece of literature is the time and place in which the story takes place. The definition of setting can also include social statuses, weather, historical period, and details about immediate surroundings. Settings can be real or fictional, or a combination of both elements.

 

Christopher Marlowe’s poem, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, is set in the countryside. The poet has focused on the setting of countryside during springtime. The springtime has a double purpose, as it refers to baby animals and budding flowers, and fifth month of the year. Then the month of May sets the scene as well as emphasizes fertility and new life linked with springtime. Thus, poet has idealized the image of rural life in the background of his personal emotions, while time is stationary in the poem.

✿ theme

As a literary device, theme is the central topic or idea explored in a text. Usually the theme of a work of literature can be stated in one word, such as “love” or “solitude.” A work of literature can, and often does, have more than one theme. The theme is generally not stated explicitly in the text, but instead is expressed through the characters’ actions, words, and thoughts.

 

J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series contains the major theme of good versus evil. Even more important than this, though, is love. Over the course of the series, Harry Potter learns that he is alive because of his mother’s love, and the sacrifice she made for him. This love, in J. K. Rowling’s conception, is so powerful that it resists the ultimate evil. What’s more, indeed, Lord Voldemort is evil precisely because he is both unable to feel love and unable to grasp its significance. “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love.” In this quote from the final installment of the series, Dumbledore tells Harry that living without love is the greatest hardship of all.