Information AboutFiction |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT FICTION | |
| fiction | |
| narratologyfiction | |
| narratology | |
| entertainment | |
| communication of falsehoods | |
| alternate reality | |
|
's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland , depicting the fictional Protagonist , Alice , playing a Fantastical game of croquet.]] Fiction is story telling. More specifically, fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative , one of the four basic Rhetorical Modes . Although the word ''fiction'' is derived from the Latin ''fingere'', "to form, create", works of fiction need not be entirely imaginary, and may include real people, places, and events. Fiction may be either written or oral. Although not all fiction is necessarily artistic, fiction is largely perceived as a form of Art and/or Entertainment . The ability to create fiction and other artistic works is considered to be one of the defining characteristics of Humanity , a fundamental aspect of human Culture . ELEMENTS OF FICTION The elements of fiction are: '''character''', '''plot''', '''setting''', '''theme''', and '''style'''. Of these five elements, character is the ''who'', plot is the ''what'', setting is the ''where'' and ''when'', and style is the ''how'' of a story. A Character is any person, persona, identity, or entity whose existence originates from a fictional work or performance. A Plot , or storyline, is the rendering and ordering of the events and actions within a story, particularly towards the achievement of some particular artistic or emotional effect. Setting is the time and location in which a story takes place. Theme is the broad idea, message, or lesson of a story. Style includes the multitude of choices fiction writers make, consciously or subconsciously, as they create a story. They encompass the big-picture, strategic choices such as '''point of view''' and '''narrator''', but they also include the nitty-gritty, tactical choices of grammar, punctuation, word usage, sentence and paragraph length and structure, '''tone''', the use of '''imagery''', chapter selection, titles, and on and on. In the process of writing a story, these choices meld to become the writer's '''voice''', his or her own unique style. CHARACTER Characterization is one of the five elements of fiction, along with plot, setting, theme, and writing style. A ''' Character ''' is a participant in the story, and is usually a person, but may be any persona, identity, or entity whose existence originates from a fictional work or performance. Characters may be of several types:
PLOT Plot is one of the five elements of fiction, along with character, setting, theme, and style. A ''' Plot ''', or storyline, is the rendering and ordering of the events and actions of a story. On a micro level, plot consists of action and reaction, also referred to as stimulus and response. On a macro level, plot has a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Plot is often depicted as an arc with a zig-zag line to represent the rise and fall of action. Plot also has a mid-level structure: scene and sequel. A scene is a unit of drama—where the action occurs. Then, after a transition of some sort, comes the sequel—an emotional reaction and regrouping, an aftermath. SETTING Setting is one of the five elements of fiction, along with character, plot, setting, and theme. ''' Setting ''' is the locale and time of a story. Sometimes setting is referred to as '''milieu''', to include a context (such as society) beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. THEME Theme is one of the five elements of fiction, along with character, plot, setting, and style. ''' Theme ''' is a conceptual distillation of the story; what the story is about. STYLE Style is one of the five elements of fiction, along with character, plot, setting, and theme. Style includes the multitude of choices fiction writers make, consciously or subconsciously, in the process of writing a story. It encompasses the big-picture, strategic choices such as point of view and narrator, but style also includes the tactical choices of grammar, punctuation, word usage, sentence and paragraph length and structure, tone, the use of imagery, chapter selection, titles, and on and on. In the process of creating a story, these choices meld to become the writer’s voice, his or her own unique style. CATEGORIES See Also: Literary genre Types of prose fiction:
FORMS OF FICTION Traditionally, fiction includes Novel s, Short Stories , Fables , Fairy Tales , Play s, and Poem s, but it now also encompasses Films , Comic Book s, and Video Games . The Internet has had a major impact on the distribution of fiction, calling into question the feasibility of Copyright as a means to ensure Royalties are paid to copyright holders. Also Digital Libraries such as Project Gutenberg have come into being which make Public Domain texts more readily available. The combination of inexpensive home computers, the Internet and the creativity of its users has also led to new forms of fiction, such as interactive Computer Game s or computer-generated comics. Countless forums for Fan Fiction can be found online, where loyal followers of specific Fictional Realm s create and distribute derivative stories. The Internet is also used for the development of Blog Fiction , where a story is delivered through a Blog either as flash fiction or Serialblog , and Collaborative Fiction , where a story is written sequentially by different authors, or the entire text can be revised by anyone using Wiki . USES OF FICTION Although fiction may viewed as a form of entertainment, it has other uses. Fiction has been used for instructional purposes, such as fictional examples used in School textbooks. Fiction may be used in Propaganda and Advertising . Fiction may be perpetuated by parents out of Tradition such as with Santa Claus or to instill beliefs and values. Fable s offer an explicit moral goal, although they are not necessarily targeted at children. CRITICISM OF FICTION Religion Fiction has, from time to time, been the subject of Censorship and Boycott s, even Bans or Book Burning s. Extremist regimes such as the Taliban have been even more prohibitive, restricting all reading to religious texts. Conversely, fiction has also been used to promote and express religious views (see Bahá'í Faith In Fiction and LDS Fiction .) Sexual content There is ongoing debate regarding sexual content in fiction, particularly Young-adult Fiction , and whether it is appropriate content for adolescents. Opponents of fiction with sexual content sometimes refer to it as Pornography . NOTE SEE ALSO
|
|
|