E-E-B (eLy English Blog): "ELEMENTS OF PROSE FICTION"

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Praise be to Allah, The cherisher and sustainer of the worlds; God who has been giving His blessing and mercy to us to complete this paper entitled "ELEMENTS OF PROSE FICTION"

This paper is submitted to fulfill one of task in introduction to literature.

In finishing this paper, we really give our regards and thanks for people who has given guidance and help, they are :

Mr. Munawir as our Lecturer
All of our friends who give us information about this Prose fiction.

Finally, we realize there are unintended errors in writing this paper. we really allows all readers to give their suggestion to improve its content.

Malang, November 18, 2012

Arranger

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction...............................................................................................1
Table of content.........................................................................................2
Preface.......................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................4
Closing.......................................................................................................11
References..................................................................................................12

CHAPTER II

PREFACE

Background of the Problem

There are three types of literature, such as poetry, prose, and drama. In this paper we'll talk about prose. Prose is the ordinary form of written language. Most of writing that is not poetry, drama or song is considered prose. One of the major genres of literature, prose occur in two forms : fiction and non fiction.

The elements of prose fiction are, tittle, theme, setting, plot, characterization, atmosphere, and style. In this paper we only discuss about Characterization, atmosphere, and also style.

Character has many types, based on personality and based on role. Tone and mood are kind of atmosphere.

From the explanation above, we will discuss about “Elements of prose fiction”.

The Formulation of Problem

We would like to formulate the problem ar follow :

What is definition of character?
What are kind of character?
What is characterization?
What are kind of atmosphere?
What is style?

The Objectives

To know more about the elements of prose fiction as a kind of literature.
To know about character, atmosphere, and style in prose fiction.

CHAPTER III

DISCUSSION

1. CHARACTER

1.1 Definition of Character

Character is An individual (usually a person) in a narative (usually a work of fiction or creative). Every piece of writing in literature is replete with an array of characters who have distinct roles and personalities. Here, we make an attempt to classify these characters into specific roles and personality traits. Take a look.

1.2 Kind of Character

a. Character based on personality

There are certain types of characters who are described based on the personality traits they possess. These personality traits, though usually typical of the roles these characters play, may not always be associated to these roles. For instance, it is not necessary that the main character in a piece of writing should be deep and fully developed. It could be the character's friend, the enemy, or any other character who is this intense personality that readers know more about.

Flat character

Have few but easily recognizable traits that make them stereotypical characters. For instance, the stepmother who humiliates her stepdaughter, the school bully, the one teacher who is mean, the mother who is only focused on having her daughter married, are all flat characters. In short, there are not many facets to this character's personality that are revealed to the reader.

Example : Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and Severus Snape are among some of the round characters in this series.

Static Character

A static character's personality does not change throughout the piece of work, and save for the initial introduction, there is not much to learn about such a character.Example: In the Harry Potter series, we find that Professor McGonagoll or Bellatrix Lestrange are static characters as we notice that their personalities are consistent and do not change; nor does our knowledge of these characters increase throughout

Dynamic Character

A dynamic character is someone whose personality changes through the course of writing, due to a change in the situation or the plot. This may be from weak to strong, from strong to weak, from a cheery person to a person in distress, and the like. While one would assume that a dynamic personality would be the protagonist, it is not always necessary.Example: These traits are evident by example of Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter's classmate, who is the perpetually petrified student at Hogwart's. However, toward the end of the series, he leads an army of students to fight against Voldemort, the evil character feared by all.

Confidant

The confidant is someone the main character confides in, and it is through these confessions that the personality of the main character is revealed.Example: In the Harry Potter series, there are numerous characters who play confidant to Harry Potter that show us his diverse personality. Some examples are Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Hagrid, and Sirius Black.

Foil

The foil is someone who is used as a contrasting character to enhance the personality of another character.Example: A brilliant example of this in the Harry Potter series is that of Draco Malfoy, who is exactly the opposite of everything Harry Potter and his friends stand for. This contrast is evident throughout the series

Stock Character

Often assumed to be a flat character, a stock character is actually one who represents stereotypical personality traits which may root from culture, appearance, or situations. Such characters are very easy to identify.Example: A character that fits into this description from the Harry Potter series would again be Professor McGonagoll, who is the stereotypical strict, rule-abiding teacher evident from her demeanor, her stern expression, her manner of talking, and the typical glasses that seem to define such teachers

b. Characters Based on Roles
While the aforementioned characters were defined by personality traits, there is another way of classifying these characters, i.e. by way of the roles they play in the piece of writing.

The Protagonist

The protagonist is the character who is central to the story. Though often the good guy, the protagonist can also be the bad guy (or the anti-hero) in the story. But this protagonist is someone the reader has to accept and understand.Example: Obviously, Harry Potter is the protagonist in the Harry Potter series, where he is the good guy. An example of the bad guy being the protagonist could be Hannibal Lecter in the novel Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris. Here, he is the protagonist and the anti-hero.

The Antagonist

The antagonist, often termed as the villain of the story, is the character whom the protagonist must confront and defy for victory. The antagonist however may not only be a person, it could be a situation that is creating an obstacle in the path of the protagonist towards her/his final goal.Example: Clearly, in the Harry Potter Series, Lord Voldemort ir the prime antagonist, while there are many others (followers of Lord Voldemort) who Harry Potter has to contend with in each book, such as Professor Quirrell, the Basilisk, Peter Pettigrew, and the like.

The Underdog

The underdog is a character who often is underplayed in a book, say someone who is the scapegoat or someone against whom all bets would have been placed in any given situation.Example: We find that Neville Longbottom is the underdog in the Harry Potter series, who as described earlier, transforms from a petrified student to someone who leads a whole army in the fight against evil. He turns out to be someone the reader would never have expected.

The Sidekick

The sidekick of a character often has a weaker personality in comparison to the character her/himself. This is a person who stick by the character's side all the time, and usually tends to do as directed by the character.Example: Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe are sidekicks to Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. Do not, for one instance, assume that Ron and Hermione are Harry Potter's sidekicks. These are strong characters in the series who have fully developed personalities and important roles to play in the entire story. Crabbe and Goyle, on the other hand, are merely present around Malfoy at all times, and do not really have any strong role to play.

As mentioned earlier, there may be so much more to a character that does not fit completely into any of the aforementioned descriptions. However, this is an attempt to classify these characters as specifically as possible. You should also note that a specific character defined by the role she/he plays may also fit into the personality type that has been defined above. There could be overlapping dimensions to a character and making an inference is then left to the reader. If you happen to be defining a character, you will have to keep a variety of aspects in mind while doing so, and you should definitely not limit your character to these definitions. Let your creativity flow; for all you know, a new definition may have to be created to fit your character into it.

1.3 CHARACTERIZATION

Characterization is the method used by a writer to develop a character.

Character development refers to the way in which characters are brought to life by the novelist.

The method includes :

showing the character's appearance,
displaying the character's actions,
revealing the character's thoughts,
letting the character speak,
getting the reactions of others.

Types of characterization :

Direct Characterization
While employing various narrative techniques, the author uses either direct or indirect forms of characterization. In direct characterization, the author explains the personality of the character directly. He defines the traits of the character by using adjectives extensively. You will understand it from the following sentence.example : The impatient girl always misbehaved with her calm and quiet brother. The patient mother had to bear this everyday.
In this sentence, the girl, boy and their mother have been characterized directly. Impatient, calm and patient are the adjectives used to describe the girl, her brother and the mother, respectively.

Indirect Characterization
Indirect characterization is a bit complex than direct characterization. In this case, the reader has to understand the nature of the character by his thoughts, speech, appearance, role, action, and his influence on other characters present in the plot. A general example is given below.
example : I'm paying today for my acts of cruelty. I have been treacherous all my life and have lost everything today.
The negative side of the character i.e. treacherous and cruel, is portrayed in the sentence written above. He doesn't directly claim himself as evil but this actions prove him to be an evil individual.

2. ATMOSPHERE

Atmosphere is the mood or emotion that is conveyed by the setting.

A large, decaying Gothic castle in the midst of a rain and lightening storm has a foreboding atmosphere. A small cafe will smell like it, be lit appropriately, and have just the right level of appropriate music in the background (blending in with the sounds of the staff and diners). It is warm and intimate, and the setting has been manipulated to create the proper ambiance (atmosphere) for the patrons' enjoyment.

In literature, we'll see the author "paint" the scene with words that describe the "feel" of a place. He'll say how things look, smell and sound. He'll appeal to all the reader's senses, or as many as he can, and he does this to draw a person into the story and make it more "real" for the reader.

2.1 TONE

TONE: the way feelings are expressed . Tone is the attitude that an author takes toward the audience, the subject, or the character. Tone is conveyed through the author's words and details. Use context clues to help determine the tone.

Words That Describe Tone : Amused, Humorous, Pessimistic, Angry, Informal, Playful, Cheerful, Ironic, Pompous, Horror, Light, Sad, Clear, Matter-of-fact, Serious, Formal, Resigned, Suspicious.

In literature an author sets the tone through words. The possible tones are as boundless as the number of possible emotions a human being can have. Has anyone ever said to you, "Don't use that tone of voice with me?" Your tone can changd the meaning of what you say. Tone can turn a statement like.

2.2 MOOD

Mood is the general atmosphere created by the author’s words. It is the feeling the reader gets from reading those words. It may be the same, or it may change from situation to situation.

Words That Describe Mood : Fanciful, Melancholy, Frightening, Mysterious, Frustrating, Romantic, Gloomy, Sentimental, Happy, Sorrowful, Joyful, Suspenseful .

MOOD: (sometimes called atmosphere) the overall feeling of the work. Mood is the emotions that you (the reader) feel while you are reading. Some literature makes you feel sad, others joyful, still others, angry. The main purpose for some poems is to set a mood. Writers use many devices to create mood, including images, dialogue, setting, and plot. Often a writer creates a mood at the beginning of the story and continues it to the end. However, sometimes the mood changes because of the plot or changes in characters.

3. STYLE

Style refers to the qualities that distinguish the works of one author from another’s, including:

Diction: word choice: formal/informal
Imagery: sensory details such as similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia in a work includes:

1. Visual: imagery of sight

2. Aural: imagery of sound (e.g., soft hiss of skis)

3. Olfactory: imagery of smell (e.g., the smell of stale beer)

4. Tactile: imagery of touch (e.g., the feel of bare feet on ` hot sidewalk)

5. Gustatory: imagery of taste (e.g., the tart, dry taste of starchy, green bananas) .

Symbols:

Symbols are concrete objects/images that stand for abstract subjects. The objects and images have meanings of their own but may be ascribed subjective connotations.

Such as heart = love, skull & crossbones = poison, color green = envy; light bulb = idea, seasons = times in a lifespan.

CHAPTER IV

CLOSING

CONCLUSION

From the explanation above we can conclude :

Character is An individual (usually a person) in a narative (usually a work of fiction or creative).
There are many kind of character can be based on personality ( flat character, static character, dynamic character, etc. ), and based on role (protagonist, antagonist, etc.).
Atmosphere is the mood or emotion that is conveyed by the setting.
Style refers to the qualities that distinguish the works of one author from another’s.