ELEMENTS OF THE

GENRE
BY: GROUP 6
ROUND OR FLAT, MAJOR OR MINOR
• CHARACTERS CAN BE MAJOR OR MINOR. THE DIFFERENCE IS IN
THE AMOUNT OF SPACE AND ATTENTION THEY RECEIVE IN THE
STORY.
• A MAJOR CHARACTER IS USUALLY GIVEN MUCH DEVELOPMENT,
MORE CONFLICTS TO RESOLVE, MORE BACKGROUND STORY, AND
USUALLY MORE ACTION.
• A MINOR CHARACTER USUALLY SERVES AS CERTAIN PURPOSE TO
MOVE A PLOT, BUT IS NOT AS DEVELOPED AND EXPLORED AS A
MAJOR CHARACTER.
• CHARACTERS CAN BE SIMPLE OR COMPLEX. THE ENGLISH
NOVELIST E. M. FORSTER. IN HIS BOOK ASPECTS OF THE
NOVEL, DISTINGUISHES THESE CHARACTERS AS FLAT (FOR
SIMPLE) AND ROUND (FOR COMPLEX).
• FLAT CHARACTERS ARE EASILY RECOGNIZED BY YOUR
“EMOTIONAL EYE”, THEY ARE USUALLY CONSTRUCTED
AROUND A SINGLE IDEA OR QUALITY.
• ROUND CHARACTERS, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE THE
CAPACITY TO SURPRISE YOU IN A CONVINCING AND EVEN
INEVITAVBLE WAY. THEY ARE RICHER, DEEPER, MORE
COMPLEX, MORE MYSTERIOUS, AND MORE UNPREDICTABLE
THAN FLAT CHARACTERS.
 FRYE’S MODE OF FICTION
• FRYE WAS A CANADIAN LITERARY CRITIC AND LITERARY
THEORIST WHO WROTE THE BOOK ANATOMY OF CRITICISM
TO HELP CATEGORIZE WORKS OF FICTION.
• BASICALLY, FRYE SAID THAT THERE ARE FIVE CATEGORIES
OF FICTION BASED ON THE HERO’S POWER OF FICTION. THIS
CATEGORIES ARE THE FOLLOWING:
• 1. MYTH IS A STORY MODE WHERE THE HERO IS A DIVINE BEING
WITH AN ABILITY THAT IS SUPERIOR IN “KIND” TO OTHER PEOPLE
AND TO THE ENVIRONMENT OF OTHER PEOPLE. THINK, FOR
EXAMPLE, OF LAM-ANG AND HERCULES.
• 2. ROMANCE IS A STORY MODE WHERE THE HERO HAS MARVELOUS
ACTIONS, BUT WHO IS IDENTIFIED AS A HUMAN BEING WITH AN
ABILITY SUPERIOR IN “DEGREE” TO OTHER PEOPLE AND TO HIS
ENVIRONMENT.
• 3. HIGH MIMETIC IS A STORY MODE WHERE THE HERO IS A LEADER
WITH AN ABILITY SUPERIOR IN DEGREE TO OTHER PEOPLE “BUT
NOT TO HIS ENVIRONMENT.” TRE HERO HAS AUTHORIT, PASSIONS,
AND POWERS OF EXPRESSION FAR GREATER THAN OTHERS, BUT
WHAT HE DOES IS SUBJECT TO BOTH SOCIAL CRITICISM AND THE
ORDER OF NATURE.
• 4. LOW MIMETIC IS A STORY MODE WHERE THE HERO IS ONE
OF US, WITH AN ABILITY THAT IS SUPERIOR “NEITHER” TO
OTHER PEOPLE NOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

• 5. IRONIC IS A STORY MODE WHERE THE HERO HAS AN

ABILITY OR INTELLIGENCE “INFERIOR” TO OURS SO WE
OFTEN HAVE A SENSE OF LOOKING DOWN ON THE SCENE OF
LOOKING DOWN ON A SCENE OF BONDAGE, FRUSTRATION,
OR ABSURDITY.
 SETTING AS A SYMBOL
• EVERY STORY HAS A SETTING, BUT HOW IMPORTANT SETTING
IS IN YOUR STORY, ONLY YOU CAN TELL. IN OLDER STORIES,
SETTING IS LIKE A PAINTED STAGE BACKDROP AGAINST
WHICH THE STORY PLAYS OUT; YOU CAN CHANGE THE
BACKDROP AND IT PROBABLY WON’T CHANGE MUCH OF THE
STORY. IN CONTEMPORARY STORYTELLING, HOWEVER,
SETTING IS GIVEN A LITTLE MORE IMPORTANCE.
 PROPS
• AN ASPECT OF THE SETTING THAT YOU SHOULD ALSO
CONSIDER IS THE PLACEMENT OF PROPS, OR OBJECTS WITH
SIGNIFICANCE. IF YOU MAKE AN EFFORT TO PUT AN OBJECT
IN THE STORY OR SCENE, YOUR READER WILL BELIEVE THAT
SUCH AN OBJECT HAS SOME IMPORTANCE OR RELEVANCE
AND CONSEQUENCE.
 STORY VS PLOT
• IN ASPECTS OF THE NOVEL, E. M. (FOR EDWARD MORGAN) FORSTER DEFINED
STORY AS “CHRONOLOGICAL TELLING OF EVENTS,” AND THE PLOT AS “HE
CAUSE AND EFFECT ARRANGEMENT.”
• HE GAVE THE NOW FAMOUS EXAMPLES:
• THE KING DIED AND THEN THE QUEEN DIED.
• THE KING DIED AND THEN THE QUEEN DIED OF GRIEF.
• THE FIRST IS A STORY BECAUSE IT TELLS A SERIES OF EVENTS IN THEIR
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHILE THE SECOND IS A PLOT BECAUSE IT TELLS A
SERIES OF EVENTS IN A CASUAL AND LOGICAL STRUCTURE THAT CONNECTS
THE EVENTS TO REVEAL THEIR DRAMATIC, THEMATIC, AND EMOTIONAL
SIGNIFICANCE.
• THERE ARE SEVERAL POSSIBLE CONFLICTS YOU CAN INJECT IN YOUR STORY,
SOME OF WHICH MUST ALREADY BE FAMILIAR TO YOU. THE BIG FOUR ARE:

• 1. MAN AGAINST MAN CONFLICT WHERE IN THE CHARACTERS ARE FIGHTING

AGAINST EACH OTHER.
• 2. MAN AGAINST SOCIETY CONFLICT WHERE IN THE CHARACTER STANDS UP
AGAINST MAN-MADE INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIAL RULES, AND IS FORCED TO
MAKE MORAL CHOICES.
• 3. MAN AGAINST NATURE CONFLICT WHERE IN THE CHARACTER IS FIGHTING
AGAINST ANIMALS OR THE FORCES OF NATURE SUCH AS A STORM OR EVEN
THE SEA.
• 4. MAN AGAINST SELF CONFLICT WHERE IN THE STRUGGLE IS INTERNAL, AND
THE CHARACTER MUST OVERCOME HIS OR HER OWN NATURE AND MAKE A
CHOICE BETWEEN TWO OR MORE PATHS.
 POINT OF VIEW
• POINT OF VIEW (POV), OR PERSPECTIVE, IS THE ANGLE, THE PERCEPTION,
THE POSITION THAT YOU TAKE TO TELL YOUR STORY. IT ANSWERS THE
QUESTION, “WHO IS TELLING THE STORY?”
• TWO OF THE MOST COMMON POV TECHNIQUES ARE THE FIRST PERSON
POV, WHEREIN THE STORY IS TOLD BY THE NARRATOR FROM HIS OR HER
POINT OF VIEW; AND THE THIRD PERSON POV, WHEREIN THE NARRATOR
DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE EVENTS OF THE STORY, BUT RATHER TELLS
THE STORY BY REFERRING TO ALL CHARACTERS AND PLACES IN THE
THIRD PERSON USING THIRDD PERSON PRONOUNS AND PROPER NOUNS.
• SELDOM USED, BUT EQUALLY VALID, IS THE SECOND PERSON POV.
 THE FIRST PERSON POV CAN STILL BE DIVIDED INTO TWO ANGLES:

• 1. THE OBJECTIVE FIRST PERSON WHEREIN THE STORY IS

NARRATED BY A FICTIONAL CHARACTER WHO PLAYS A MINOR
PART IN THE STORY OR ISN’T PRESENT IN THE STORY AT ALL.
• 2. THE SUBJECTIVE FIRST PERSON WHERE IN THE FIRST
PERSON NARRATOR IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OR ONE OF THE
MAIN CHARACTERS, IN THE STORY.
 THE THIRD PERSON POV CAN ALSO BE DIVIDED INTO THREE
PERSPECTIVES:

• 1. THE OMNISCIENT THIRD PERSON WHEREIN THE NARRATION SEES,

KNOWS, AND USUALLY REVEALS EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CHARACTERS
IN THE STORY.
• 2. THE OBJECTIVE THIRD PERSON WHEREIN THE NARRATION SIMPLY
DESCRIBES WHAT THE CHARACTERS DO AND SAY WITHOUT GIVING THE
READERS ACCESS TO THEIR THOUGTS.
• 3. THE CLOSE THIRD PERSON WHEREIN THE NARRATION USES THIRD
PERSON PRONOUNS, AND LIKE THE OMNISCIENT, IT GETS INSIDE THE
MINDS OF THE CHARACTERS, BUT THE WHOLE STORY IS GENERALLY TOLD
FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF ONLY ONE CHARACTER.
THE END.