Write about a favorite character or scene from the last half of The Alchemist.
-Write about what made you stop and think…what was thought-provoking for you.
-Find an intriguing quotation, copy it into your post, tell us why you chose it and what it means to you (enclose borrowed words in quotation marks and include a page reference).
-Write about one (or more) of the questions on Slides 18-22 in the Powerpoint called, Literary Terms and Intro to The Alchemist
Literary Terms
and An Introduction to The Alchemist
Plot or Structure
Setting
Point-of-View
Characterization
Theme
The Five Main Elements of Fiction:
Definition:
Structure of the story
Way in which the story's events are arranged
Plot
Linear
Non-Linear
Exposition: The basic information the reader needs to understand the events
Usually found at the beginning of the story
Tells us where and when the story takes place
Tells us who the characters are
Tells us what the initial situation is
tells us what has happened before the story begins
provides any other background information we may need
Sometimes begins in medias res (in the middle of things)
Plot
Conflict: struggle between opposing forces
External Conflict
Struggle between the character and his/her environment, society, or with another character
Internal Conflict
Opposing forces within the character
Plot
Crisis: a peak in the story’s action – there can be several
a moment of tension
Plot
Climax: moment of greatest tension in the story
the scene that presents the story's decisive action or events
Plot
Resolution: draws the story’s action to a close
Happens after the climax
Some modern stories provide little or no resolution
Plot
Setting Definition: The time, place, and social reality within which the story takes place
When and where do the events of the story take place?
Consider both the author's social reality, and the social reality within the story
consider societal attitudes, historical events, the author's background (if relevant), and anything else that places a story within a social and cultural context
Setting
When trying to determine if setting is important to the story, ask yourself this question:
Could this story happen at any other time or in any other place?
If the answer is no, then setting is one of the most important elements of fiction that make the story work.
If the answer is yes, then setting might be an irrelevant point
Setting
Point-of-View Definition: The perspective from which the story is told
1st person (generally uses an “I” voice)
Participant
Observer
3rd person (usually uses a “They” voice)
Point-of-View
Character – the fictional representation of someone (sometimes an animal or a concept)
Protagonist – the main character in the story
Antagonist – the force that opposes the main character
Can be…
Another character
A force of nature
An animal
Opposing forces within the protagonist
Characterization
Static Character – a character who remains basically unchanged by the end of the story
Dynamic Character – a character who changes by the end of the story
The change can be…
A change of attitude
A change of behavior
A change in how the character views him/herself, another character, the situation at hand, or the world
Epiphany – Some moment of insight, discovery or revelation by which a character's life, or view of life, is greatly altered
Dynamic characters experience an epiphany
Characterization
Theme Definition: The central or underlying idea
In order to identify theme (stories can have several themes), ask yourself what subjects the story addresses
Theme
Foreshadowing – a hint of things to come
Flashback – when the story moves out of sequence to examine the past
Style – the way in which the writer crafts the story
Imagery – something that appeals to one of our five senses
Metaphor – making a comparison between two unlike things
Simile – same as above, except using the words “like” or “as” in the comparison
Other Terms
Symbol – a person, place, thing, action, or event that, in addition to its literal meaning, also stands for something else
Tone – the attitude of the narrator (or author) to the subject of the story
Allusion – a reference to a Biblical, historical, or mythological event or person
The reference should provide a thematic connection between the story and something from the past
Other Terms
See next few slides
As your read The Alchemist, think about how you could answer the following questions:
Define the plot structure in The Alchemist
What information is included in the Exposition of the story?
What information is excluded from the Exposition? Why do you think the author would choose to do this?
Plot
When and where do the story’s events take place? Is anything about the setting vague? Why?
What is the social reality? Is it important to understanding the motivations of any of the characters?
Setting in The Alchemist
How do you define the point-of-view in this story?
Is the point-of-view important? Why or why not?
Point-of-View in The Alchemist
Who is the protagonist?
Who is the antagonist (or the antagonistic force?) (There are many in this novel)
By the end of the novel, is Santiago a static or dynamic character? Defend your position
Characterization in The Alchemist
What are some of the themes (or subjects) in the novel?
Theme in The Alchemist
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