Teaching and Assessment of Literature in English

1
Week 3: PROSE: FICTION

Module 003 PROSE: FICTION

Course Learning Outcomes:

1. Define literary fiction
2. Enumerate the different elements of fiction
3. Identify and understand the types of fiction
PROSE
This is the third genre of literature. Prose is written in the ordinary spoken or written
language of man. The message of the prose is often conveyed without acting.
A prose work may be fiction or non-fiction.

Fiction
Fiction- is also known as imaginative literature or “literature of power”. It interprets
human experience by presenting fictitious persons, incidents, or situations, not by actual truths
about particular events.

Elements of Fiction
a. Character-a person, an animal, or an imaginary creature that takes the part in the
action of the story.
Character Types:
 Protagonist- the main character of the story that is most central to the
action of the story.
 Antagonist- the person or thing working against the protagonist, or
hero, in the story
b. Characterization - the techniques an author uses to develop the personality of a
character in a literary work.

c. Setting - The time and place in which the action occurs. Look for clues in the
opening paragraphs of the story or novel.

d. Point of view - It is refers to who tells the story and how it is told
• 1st person- the story is told by one of the characters in the story. The
character uses the pronouns I and we.
• 3rd person- the story is told by the narrator who stands outside of the
story and observes the events as they unfold.

e. Plot

Course Module
 Plot, the action element in fiction, is the arrangement of events that make up
a story. It is based on a key conflict.
There are five basic parts of plot
• Exposition- the first part of the story. The author establishes the setting,
introduces characters, gives additional background information.
• Rising Action/Complications- the series of conflicts or struggles that build a
story toward its climax. Tension rises.
• Climax- the high point, or turning point, of a story. It is the most intense
point. A decision is made that will decide the outcome of the conflict.
• Falling Action- the action that works out the decision arrived at during the
climax. The conflict is –or begins to be –settled.
• Resolution- the ending. It ties up loose ends and brings the story to a close.

f. Theme
Theme is the central idea or meaning of a story.

g. Symbolization
A symbol is a person, object, image, word, or event that evokes a range of
additional meaning beyond and usually more abstract that is literal significance.
Universal Symbols:
• Water = purity
• black clouds = evil approaching

h. Tone
It is the author’s implicit attitude toward the reader, subject, and/or the
people, places, and events in a work as revealed by the elements of the author’s
style

Types of Fiction
A. Novel
Novel is an invented prose narrative of considerable length and a certain
complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience, usually through a
connected sequence of events involving a group of persons in a specific setting.
Example: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Types of Novel
1. Picaresque Novel:
- It deals with a sequence of adventures of a rogue or outcast. It was
common between 17th and early 18th centuries. It is usually
exciting and lusty.
2. Novel of manners:
- It deals with problems of personal resolution resulting from the
complex restrictions of highly formalized ‘codes’ of etiquette in
good society.
3. Sentimental Novel:
 Teaching and Assessment of Literature in English
3
Week 3: PROSE: FICTION

- A form of novel which emphasizes the importance of building and

nurturing emotionality, and a sentimental understanding of simple
ways of life; the beauties of nature and cordiality(friendship)
between people of refined sensibilities”
4. Gothic Novel:
- A kind of novel common in the 18th centuries. It described
romantic adventures in frightening or mysterious environments.
The first gothic novel was published in 1764 by Horace Walpole.
The mystery of Udolpho, by Ann Redeliffe is another example.
5. Historical Novel:
- It is a novel that deals with past events. In historical novels, some
notable figures in the past are brought to life fictionally and
characters are invented to help reader understand how past
events affected people.
6. Sociological novel:
- It deals with the state and the impact of social factors on the
characters in a certain society. In this way we get to understand
the reason behind character’s behavior in the society. Sociological
novel offer a thesis and supports it as an answer to a social
problem.
7. Detective Novel:
- It is a form of novel in which a crime, usually crime of murder, is
committed and the criminal or perpetrators are unknown until a
detective unravels the mystery behind the crime. Most of James
Hardley Chase novels fall under this category.
8. Psychological novel:
- It stresses the inner life of characters. A psychological novelist
focuses on the inner life of the character, assesses his motives and
explores such psychological characteristics which led to external
actions.
9. Novel of character:
- It stresses the creation and building of character instead of unity
of plot, structure and exciting story.
10. Novel of incident:
- A type of novel in which action in almost unrelated episodes
dominate while characters and plot are subordinate. There is more
emphasis on thrilling incident than characterization or sustained
curiosity. Robinson Crusoe, written by Daniel Defoe is a good
example

B. Short Story
Short story, brief fictional prose narrative that is shorter than a novel and
that usually deals with only a few characters. A brief story usually 5-20 pages long.
only has 1-2 main characters and one main setting.
Example: "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe.

Course Module
 C. Fable
A fable is a very brief story in prose or in verse that teaches a moral or a
practical lesson about how to succeed in life.
Example: The Tortoise and the Hare
D. Folk tale
A folk tale is a story with no known author. Folk tales are passed down from
one generation to another by word of mouth. They teach lessons & teach you about
the consequences of certain kinds of behaviors or attitudes.
Example: Jack and the Beanstalk.

E. Legend
A legend is a semi-true story, which has been passed on from person-to-
person and has important meaning or symbolism for the culture in which it
originates. A legend usually includes an element of truth, or is based on historic
facts, but with 'mythical qualities'. Legends usually involve heroic characters or
fantastic places and often encompass the spiritual beliefs of the culture in which
they originate.
Example: the legend of Chocolate Hills
F. Novella
Story between 20-100 pages; can also be a collection of short stories.
Example: Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness(1899)

G. Myth
A myth is a story passed down from generations trying to explain how our
world works or how we should treat each other. Some myths have gods or ‘super-
beings’ that use powers to make events happen.
Example: Greek Mythology: Poseidon
H. Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of imaginative writing that carries the reader into an
invented world where the laws of nature, as we know them, do not operate. •
Usually starts with…”Once upon a time & ends with “They lived happily ever after”.
Example: Cinderella
I. Epic
Stories and songs emerged as an oral means of communication and
preserving the past: tales of heroic battles or struggles, myths, or religious beliefs. In
a time before mass communication, the oral tradition enabled people to pass down
stories, most often in the form of rhyming poems.
Example: Biag ni Lam-ang

References and Supplementary Materials

1. Literature; https://www.slideshare.net/glenda75/literature-15239454
 Teaching and Assessment of Literature in English
5
Week 3: PROSE: FICTION

2. Definition, elements, genres, and types of fiction;

https://www.slideshare.net/RabiatulHamidah2/definition-elements-genres-
and-types-of-fiction; Published on Jan 12, 2017
3. Literary appreciation; https://www.slideshare.net/angelitopera/literary-
appreciation-61491476; Published in: Education; Published on Apr 29, 2016

Course Module