Elements of Fiction - Plot

Literature is an art and not a science. Because literature is an art, it is difficult to specifically define the elements of fiction. However, we can say that every story - no matter what kind of tale it is - has a plot. Essentially, in every story, there is something that happens to someone, somewhere. That something is the plot.

While plot can be easily defined as being the something that happens to someone somewhere, all stories are unique. Therefore, one can say that it is likely that there are as many different plots as there are different stories. While each story that one encounters in literature is unique, there are some general assumptions that we make about the plot in each of these stories. For example, nearly every story begins with rising action - the character experiences some conflict as the complications of the story begins to entangle the character or characters more deeply in the problem. At some point, the conflict experienced by the character or characters reaches a climax. After the story reaches its climax, the complications experienced by the character or characters are resolved. As a result, falling action leads to the end of the story. At the end of the story, something has changed. This change can be in the emotional development of the character, in the material conditions of the world around the character, or in the situation or social milieu that the character was in when the story began. In short, a new status quo is achieved.

The plot is the engine of change that makes the story possible and is composed of many parts. Often, the story begins with what students of literature call an exposition. This is the background information that the audience needs in order to make sense of the story. In some stories (particularly epics), the story begins in what students of literature call in media res. This is a Latin term loosely defined as "in the middle of the action." Conflict occurs in the rising action that often occurs between two forces (what students of literature call the protagonist and antagonist). The story reaches its peak in the climax and eventually a resolution occurs.

Now that we have defined the elements of plot in a general sense, let's look at each of the elements of plot in depth:

Conflict - From the opening sentence of the story, readers imagine the unfolding of drama - the conflict. Essentially, the conflict is the engine of tension that drives the story's plot. This tension can be external - man against nature or man against man or it can be internal - psychological conflict experienced by the characters. In addition, both external and internal conflicts can co-exist in the same story.

Complications and Rising Action - As the characters in the story begin to make choices and tries to resolve the conflicts, the story's action is shaped and events occur that plunge the characters more deeply into the conflict. These are complications in the plot. In addition, during this part of the story, the drama experienced by the reader is often intensified and the action rises toward the climax.

Climax and Falling Action - The climax can be described as the most dramatic and revealing part of the story. This is where the arc of the narrative turns toward the resolution. One of the best examples from popular culture that I can think of to illustrate this concept occurs near the end of George Lucas' film, The Empire Strikes Back ( in fact, George Lucas' Star Wars films are great for illustrating a lot of concepts from the elements of fiction). In the climactic scene, Darth Vader cuts off Luke Skywalker's hand with his light saber and then says: "Luke, I am your father." After this event, the plot turns and falling action occurs. Falling action occurs after the climax when the drama subsides and allows the storyteller to tie up all of the loose ends of the story. Again, think about The Empire Strikes Back: In Lucas' film, there is literally falling action - Luke Skywalker falls through the air from the city of clouds before being picked up by Princess Leia in the Millennium Falcon. In this closing scene, Lucas ties up all of the loose ends from the story. This part of the story is also called the dénouement which, loosely translated, means "untying the knot." This structure in fiction is, in very simple terms, the plot of the story. While one may think of plot as simple being the events of the story, students of literature think of these events not simply in terms of where or how they occur in the story, but also in terms of the artistic arrangement of these elements. Often, in contemporary fiction (especially in screenplays for motion pictures), plot is deemphasized and other elements of fiction like the development of characters or the complexity of conflict is emphasized. In addition, because of the emphasis on literary theory, those who teach literature also rarely emphasize the plot of the story. However, we can say that plot is important - it is likely what gets us interested in the reading the story in the first place - it makes us want to see what happens next. However, plot is rarely the most important element in literature, so, after carefully considering the plot of the story, students of literature should then begin looking at the other elements of fiction and use literary theory to further unpack the meaning in the work.