​Objectives

After this lesson you will be able to:

• Identify literary elements.

• Determine how elements combine to create meaning.

• Explain how classical stories influence modern works.

​Elements Work Together

Setting and character work together to create conflict.

Setting isn’t just where or when a story takes place — it includes the world’s conditions, like culture, weather, social class, laws, expectations, or dangers.

Character means a person’s traits, desires, and flaws — who they are inside.

When those two things interact, tension arises. In other words, a story’s external world and a character’s internal world often clash. That clash creates conflict, which drives the plot and reveals theme.

​Elements Work Together

The Hunger Games

Setting: A dystopian world that forces children to fight to the death.

Character: Katniss is compassionate and protective.

Conflict: Her empathy and sense of justice directly oppose the cruelty of her society.

Romeo and Juliet

Setting: A city divided by family feuds.

Characters: Two young lovers from opposing houses.

Conflict: Their love defies their world’s social rules — the setting makes their relationship tragic.

​What is a Seminal Text?

A seminal text is a foundational work that shapes language, archetypes, and culture.

​What is a Seminal Text?

These are some of the seminal texts that shape Western culture:
The Odyssey • The Bible • Greek tragedies • Shakespeare’s plays

​Other examples

O Brother, Where Art Thou? → The Odyssey

West Side Story → Romeo and Juliet

​Review