Lga3101 Topic 3

LGA3101 CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

TOPIC 3 ELEMENTS TO CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

3.0 SYNOPSIS

This topic discusses the main concepts of literary elements: plot, theme, setting,

characters and style with special attention to author’s of children’s books.

3.1 LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of Topic 3, you will be able to:

identify the key elements in literature

create a plot line for a story

identify themes and characteristics

3.2 FRAMEWORK OF TOPICS

3.2.1 Plot

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Elements to Children’s Literature

Plot

Setting ThemeCharacters Style


The plot of a story is more than just a series of events – it is a series of

interconnected events. A six year old child may describe a day at school like

this: “we sang a song and we painted a picture and we took a nap and we

ate a snack and we played outside and the teacher read us a book”. That is a

series of events, and in life, this is how things happen. A plot is all about

establishing connections, suggesting causes, and showing relationships.

Plot is important in stories, whether the stories reflect the oral storytelling style

of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales or the complex interactions in a mystery.

When asked to tell about a favourite story, children usually recount the plot or

plan of action. Children want a book to have a good plot: enough action,

excitement, suspense and conflict to develop interest (Norton, 2003). A

good plot also allows children to become involved in the action, feel the

conflict developing, recognize the climax when it occurs and respond to a

satisfactory ending.

A plot depends on the characters to carry it to a worthwhile conclusion. It

enables the reader to tie events together in an effort to communicate the

theme. For a plot to begin, we need to have a conflict. Conflict is a device

through which the reader is given the information or material from which to

conclude the “hows’ and the “whys” of what happens.

The plot structure may follow one of the three general patterns - a dramatic

plot; an episodic plot and parallel plot. A dramatic plot or the traditional plot

may be broken down as follows; however, many plots do not follow in exact

sense or sequence this breakdown. The five stage structure of plot:

i. Exposition

ii. Complication or rising action

iii. Crisis or climax

iv. Reversal or falling action

v. Conclusion , resolution or a denouement

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The five stages are illustrated in the figure below.

i. Exposition: the representation of essential information, especially

about what has occurred before this piece of action begins

(background of characters and setting or a situation)

ii. Complication or rising action: when the conflict is introduced. The

conflict may exist between the protagonist and an antagonist, or

between the protagonist and non-human factors such a fate, nature, or

between the protagonist himself.

iii. Crisis or climax: the decisive turning point. This is when the plot

reaches its point of greatest emotional intensity, directly precipitating

its resolution.

iv. Reversal or falling action: once the crisis has been reached, the

tension subsides and the plot moves towards its appointed conclusion.

v. Conclusion or resolution: the final section of the plot. It records the

outcome of the conflict.

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b. Complication

c. Climax

d. Falling action

e. Resolution (end)

Exposition (beginning)


The second type of plot is the episodic plot consisting of a series of loosely

related incidents, usually of chapter length, tied together by a common theme

and/or characters.

The third type is parallel plot structure whereby the author weaved two

dramatic plots in a single book. The two plots are usually linked by a common

character and a similar theme. Sharon Creech’s Walk Two Moons consist of a

story within a story, both told by the protagonist, Sal, and both about the self-

discovery.

3.2.2 Characters

At the heart of every good story are believable and memorable characters.

The principal characters of story include protagonist, the central figure with

whom we usually sympathize or identify and the antagonist, the figure who

opposes the protagonist and creates the conflict. We normally call these

characters hero and villain. The others are called supporting characters.

Characters can be identified by their depth. Flat characters have no depth as

we see only one side or aspect of them. Normally, they are stock character or

stereotypes used primarily to advance the plot such as a helpful officer, a

kindly clerk, a strict teacher and so on. As readers however, we are more

interested in the round characters, who have more fully developed

personalities. We expect the protagonist and antagonist to be rounded

individuals who express a range of emotion – joy, sorrow, confidence, fear,

remorse, pity. In most children’s stories, the protagonist is a dynamic

character, that is, one who changes through the narrative, usually toward

greater maturity. On the other hand, most supporting characters are static;

that is they do not change significantly.

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3.2.3 Setting

Setting refers to the time, the geographical location, and the general

environment and circumstances that prevail in a narrative. The setting of the

story helps readers share what the characters see, smell, hear, and touch

and also makes the characters’ values, actions and conflicts more

understandable. Whether a story takes place in the past, present or future,

its overall credibility depend on how well the plot, characterizations and

setting support one another.

Different types of literature – picture storybooks, fantasy, historical fiction

and contemporary realistic fiction has its own requirements as far as setting is

concerned. We have to understand where we are, in which period of time, in

which society and at which level in that society if we are to interpret correctly

the other elements in the story. In stories in which place is the important

element of setting, the writer usually provides specific, sometimes extended

descriptions of the place In other stories, the treatment of time is more

significant than place. For example, “Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far

away” typically defines the time and place. Thirty of the thirty seven

traditional fairy tales in Andrew Lang’s The Red Fairy book begin with “Once

upon a time. Magical spells cannot happen everywhere, they usually occur in

a certain kingdom”, “deep in the forest”, or far, far away in a pleasant land.”

Children become so familiar with such phrases – and the visualizations of

setting that such phrases trigger that additional details and descriptions are

not necessary.

Even a setting that is described briefly may serve different purposes. It may

create a mood, provide an antagonist, establish historical background or

supply symbolic meanings. For further elaboration of the purposes, you may

read Norton (2003), Chapter 3.

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3.2.4 Theme

Theme is dependent upon the tone of the author and tone is dependent upon

the point of view of the story – the way characters are described, the

selection and arrangement of events, setting and the establishment of mood

through words that appeal to your senses. Simple definition: theme is the basic idea of a short story. The theme should be stated as a generalization about life, not as reference to

a specific character or action in a story. For example, if a story includes a

major action of robbery and the results of that action, the theme might be that

negative behavior of that sort doesn’t pay off in the long run.

Themes written in books written for younger children frequently develop

around experiences and emotions that are important to the younger readers.

For example, the theme in Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do develops the

importance of a father’s love by showing numerous father and child

relationships.

Below are some of the common examples of themes found in folktales:

1. The struggle to achieve autonomy or to break away from parents (“Beauty

and the Beast”)

2. The anxiety over the failure to meet a parent’s expectations (“Jack and the

Beanstalk”)

3. The discovery that ultimately we are all alone on our journey to maturity is

fought with struggle and danger (“Hansel & Gretel”).

The following suggestions and comments may prove helpful in identifying the

themes of a particular work:

i) The theme of a literary piece must not be confused with the work’s

subject or situation. Theme is the abstract, generalized statement or

comment that the work makes about the concrete subject or situation.

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ii) Try not to understate or overstate or even failing to discover the total

significance of the theme of the story.

iii) Make sure tht the theme that is proposed is supported by the work’s

other elements.

iv) Titles may also provide clues about the theme.

3.2.5 Style

Authors have a wide choice of words to select from and numerous ways to

arrange words in order to create plots, characters and settings and to express

themes. Many authors use words and sentences in creative ways. To evaluate

style, read a piece of literature aloud. The sound of the story should appeal to

your senses and be appropriate to the content of the story. The language should

help develop the plot, bring the characters to life and create a mood.

WordIt is not enough that an author has a good story to tell; the story should be told

well – with the right words and the right order. In children’s stories, word choice

is particularly important because of the child’s naturally limited vocabulary.

Consequently, we would not expect to find abstract terminologies in a work

meant for preschoolers. On the other hand, if the vocabulary is too simple, the

child will never grow as a reader.

SentencesSentences can increase or diminish our enjoyment of a piece of work depending

on their length and their construction. Short sentences best convey suspense,

tension and swift action. Longer sentences work best when explanations and

descriptions are needed. A well written long sentence can just be as easy to

understand as a short sentence. In Charlotte’s Web, notice how E.B. White

effectively combine short and long sentences as he moves from describing an

action to thought and back to action:

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Wilbur looked everywhere. He searched his pen thoroughly.

He examined the window ledge, stared up at the ceiling.

But he saw nothing new. Finally he decided he would have

to speak up. He hated to break the lovely stillness of dawn

by using his voice, but he couldn’t of any other way to locate

the mysterious new friend who was nowhere to be seen. So

Wilbur cleared his throat. (34)

(Russell, 2005 , 44)

Authors may also select words and sentence structure with rhythms evoking

different moods. For example, Sid Fleischman uses metaphors and similies to

create the setting in The Midnight Horse, such as “It was raining bullfrogs. The

coach lurched and swayed along the river road like a ship in rough seas. Inside

clung three passengers like unlashed cargo” (p.1).

ExpositionExposition refers to the narrator’s passages that are required to provide

background information to help us understand the events of a story. Exposition

may be used to introduce a character: “Dorothy lived in the midst of the great

Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer and Aunt Em, who was

the farmer’s wife” (Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 7)

DialogueDialogue refers to the words spoken by the characters, usually to each other, as

opposed to exposition, the words of the narrator to the reader. Most work of

fiction rely on both dialogue and exposition. Young readers especially enjoy

dialogue as a realistic and convincing way of defining character. Dialogue allows

the author to convey individual peculiarities, such as the goose’s quirky speech

in Charlotte’s Web when she replies to Wibur’s inquiry about the time: “Probably-

obably-obably about half past eleven …Why aren’t you asleep Wilbur?” (33)

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Task 11. In groups, select one of the texts you identified in Week 2.

- Draw a plot line for the story.

- Identify the characteristics of the main characters

.

Task 2Write about the plot of a story you enjoyed when you were young.

What made it exciting?

Further reading1. Chapter 3 of Norton, D.E. (2006). Through the eyes of a child. An

introduction to Children’s Literature. (6th Ed.). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice

Hall.

2. Chapter 2 of Cox, C. ( ). Teaching language arts: a student-centered classroom.

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REFERENCES

Kennedy, X.J. & Dana Goia, D. (1995). Literature: An introduction to Fiction,Poetry

and Drama. (6th Ed.). New York: Harper Collins.

Norton, D.E. (2006). Through the eyes of a child. An introduction to Children’s

Literature. (6th Ed.). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Russell, D.L. (2005). Literature For Children. A Short Introduction. (5th Ed.)

Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Take a break before you move on to the next topic.

Prepared by:Rafiah Abdul Rahman, PhDIPG Kampus Tun Hussein Onn

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Lga3101 Topic 3

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