Independent Reading/Book Bistro
January 28, 2005
Mrs. Gann
SETTING: The total environment for the action of a fictional work. Setting includes time period, the physical place, and the historical context. Setting could also include an emotional or spiritual state of mind for a character. The setting is usually established primarily through description, though narration is used also.
PLOT (also called CONFLICT): is the struggle found in fiction. Conflict/Plot may be internal or external, meaning that it may be happening in real-time or it may be in a character’s mind. There are three main types of conflict:
(1) Man in conflict with another Man
(2) Man in conflict in Nature
(3) Man in conflict with Self.
The plot line of a novel or short story usually looks like this:
Exposition Rising Action Climax Falling Action Denouement
Exposition: the opening “grab” of a book.
Rising Action: when things really get cooking.
Climax: the point of most tension, stress, or conflict in a story.
Falling Action: when things start to unwind or wrap up.
Denouement: the “last call” of a story.
**When completing your Story Map this week, pay special attention to setting and plot. Get grounded in WHAT is happening to your characters and WHERE they are when it happens.**