This document defines and explains various literary elements and concepts in prose writing. It discusses different types of prose like short stories, novels, myths, and biographies. It also covers elements like setting, plot structure, character types, point of view, theme, and more. Key terms and concepts are defined, with examples provided to illustrate different types within each element.

1. By: Geshellou Suacillo

2. It is a straightforward speech with a natural flow of
speech.
Written or spoken in its ordinary form, without
metrical structure.
Written in full grammatical sentences, which then
constitutes paragraphs.
What is a prose?

3. Short Story
Novel
Myth
Folktale: Legend, fable
and Parable.These are not necessarily true stories. Mostly written out from
the author’s imagination and creativity.
These are true stories, written by the person himself or
another permitted person or stories based on real scenes
Biography
Autobiography
History
Letter
Diary
Journal

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5. The setting refers to the time, the geographical locations,
and the general environment and circumstances that prevail
in a narrative. The setting helps to establish the mood of a
story.
Types of Setting:
Integral
setting is fully
described in
time and place,
usually found in
historical fiction.
Backdrop
setting is vague
and general,
which helps to
convey a
universal,
timeless tale.

6. The structure, “framework” or the
“skeleton” of the story.
A plot is all about establishing
connections, suggesting
causes, and showing relationships.
The casual and logical structure that
connects events. (E.M. Froster)

7. The beginning of the
story where the
characters and setting
are introduced.
Introduction
(Exposition)
Complications will arise
when the characters take
steps to resolve conflicts.
Rising Action
(Conflict)
Climax
Complications will arise
when the characters take
steps to resolve conflicts.
The conflict is in the
process of being
resolved.
Falling Action
The conflict is resolved
and the story ends.
Resolution

8. Struggles against other
people.
Struggles against
animals, weather,
environment, etc.
Struggles against ideas,
practices, or customs of
others.
Struggles with own soul,
physical limitations,
choices, etc.

9. The story begins with a
character or a group of
persons trapped in some
kind of a problem. The
story goes on to show
how to characters goes
out of their predicament.
The story gets through a
single character
journeying through life,
encountering various
stages of adventure and
growth.
The story must have an
unstructured and
ordinary event. Then a
realization or insight
from the experience
happens next.

10. Progressive
Plot Episodic Plot
This is a chronological
structure which first
establishes the setting and
conflict, then follows the
rising action through to a
climax (the peak of the action
and turning point), and
concludes with a
(a wrapping up of loose
This is also a chronological
structure, but it consists of a series
of loosely related incidents, usually
of chapter length, tied together by
common theme and/or characters.
Episodic plots work best when the
writer wishes to explore the
personalities of the characters, the
nature of their existence, and the
flavor of an era.
Flashback
This structure conveys information
about events that occurred earlier. It
permits authors to begin the story in
the midst of the action but later fill in
the background for full understanding
of the present events. Flashbacks can
occur more than once and in different
parts of a story.

11. 1) a person in a fictional
story; or
2) 2) qualities of a
person.
Ways characters are revealed:
1. What the narrator says about the character
2. What the other character says about the character.
3. What the character says about himself/herself.
4. What the character actually does.
5. what he/she says, thinks, feels, dreams and what
he/she does or does not do
Types of Characters:
1. Protagonist
2. Antagonist
3. Foil Characters
How characters are
portrayed:
1. Flat characters
2. Round characters

12. Protagonist
(hero): the central figure
whom we usually
or identify.
Antagonist
(villain): the figure who
opposes the protagonist and
creates the conflict.
Foil Character
This is a supporting character
and usually made to shine the
protagonist.
Flat Characters
they have no depth and no
change; we only see one
or aspect of them.
Ex. strict teacher, evil
stepmother, policeman
Round Characters
they have more fully developed
personalities. We expect the
protagonists and antagonists to
be rounded individuals who
express a range of emotion and
change throughout the narrative,
usually toward greater maturity.

13. The angle from which
the story is told.
Variations of POV:
1. First person
2. Second person
3. Third person
* Limited
* Omniscient
- Innocent Eye
- Stream of consciousness

14. FIRST PERSON:
Story told by the
protagonist or a
character who interacts
closely with the
protagonist or other
characters; speaker uses
the pronouns "I", "me",
"we". Readers
experiences the story
through this person's
eyes and only knows
what he/she knows and
feels.
SECOND PERSON:
Story told by a narrator
who addresses the
reader or some other
assumed "you“.
THIRD PERSON:
Story told by a narrator
who sees all of the
action.
Types of third person:
Limited- easiest POV for a beginning
writer to use, POV funnels all action
through the eyes of a single character;
readers only see what the narrator sees.
Omniscient- God-like, the narrator
knows and sees everything, and can
move from one character's mind to
another.

15. The main, underlying
idea of a piece of
literature.
The lesson of the story,
the message that the
author wanted the
reader to understand.
None of us really changes over time.
We only become more fully what we are.
– Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat
It could also be the
moral lesson of the story.

16. I am a sucker of books. One of my
favorite book is written by Steven
Gerrard entitled “My Story”. This book
was recommended to me by a friend I
met while staying outside the country.
During those times, I felt like I lost
myself, had trouble identifying the
things I like to do things I don’t want to
spend effort with. That’s when I got a
hand for this book. The book speaks
about his own life and how he
overcame situations he thought he
could never overcome. He had a lot of
realizations in this book. And there’s one
line that I live by until today, constantly
reminding me how to live a life of
example.
“Your life may be another person’s landscape”