Literary elements are the meat and potatoes of a story—without these, I’m not sure what a story would even look like! They provide structure and balance, create mood, and if used effectively, stir enough interest to draw the reader in. Character, point of view, time, place, plot, mood, symbol and extended metaphor, and theme all stand on their own as uniquely important elements of a good story. However, for me, character, point of view, and place are especially critical in drawing me into the pages of a book.
When I think of character, my mind automatically goes to the main hero or heroine of the great books I have read. However, character can also be portrayed through the setting, and includes all of the people in a story. Big or small, every role contributes to the plot and somehow influences a story’s outcome. Perhaps the most exciting element of character is how they change. Without character growth, the story would seem stale and the action stagnant. An author whose stories rely on the growth of her characters is Laura Ingalls Wilder. In her Little House Series, readers are invited to share in the transformation of Laura and the rest of her family as she copes with loss, triumphs over adversity, and celebrates the good things in life. As a child, I was enamored by Laura and her strength as the leading lady in the Little House books. Her character demonstrates the rich potential of all human beings and gives the reader a model for dealing with life’s everyday trials. In addition, we see the dynamic that is created between characters as new people are introduced with every book and each new adventure. This dynamic between characters is an element that I look for in books, as it adds depth to the plot and shows us the emotional side of a story’s characters by observing their interactions with others. These components are just a small insight into the intrigue that character adds to a story.
Point of view is an element of literature that plays closely alongside character. First person narrative is the point of view which comes straight out of the thoughts, feelings, and insights of a single character—they are the one narrating the story for the reader. I think first person is effective because we get to experience the story through one person in the most intimate way possible. Their every thought is accessible, which gives unique perspective. However, in first person we miss out on this kind of intimacy with other characters—what we know about them is strictly based on how the first person narrator thinks and feels. Although this creates suspense, first person point of view can be rather limiting. Third person, on the other hand, allows the reader to experience the innermost thoughts of as many characters as the author chooses to reveal. Within a story, we can see how characters think and relate based on how each one feels. I like this option in literature because as a reader, I am not subject to one character’s emotions and biases. Rather, I get to go through the story with a developing awareness of how each character responds and feels in each situation, which is why I think third person is a more valuable approach in literature.
I love the dynamic attributed by and place in a story. Contrary to what it may seem, place reveals so much more than the setting. Place can involve period, mood, the passing of time, and it can definitely influence characters. For example, had Laura Ingalls Wilder been alive during modern times, she would not have faced the same struggles and her life would have told a dramatically different story than the issues her family experiences in the Little House books. However, the drama in her stories describes a fascinating time that can only have been garnered from the unique place of her life experience. This aspect also affects the mood of Wilder’s writing, influenced by the issues her family faces which would not be of equal concern in modern-day America. In this way, place elicits a certain charm that has helped to popularize the story of the Ingalls family. The way that characters value aspects of place also can clue readers in on their interests and morals. In other words, a character’s interaction with place can reveal their commitment to other characters and the things that they value most. These types of interactions demonstrate to the reader the utmost importance of place and its role in revealing the nature of characters and the story as a whole.
