A literary elements list includes the essential building blocks every story must have — plot, character, setting, theme, conflict, point of view, and tone. Without these structural components, a narrative can’t function.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Every core literary element with clear definitions and examples
- The difference between literary elements and literary devices
- How each element works in published fiction
- Practical tips for strengthening each element in your own writing
Here’s the complete breakdown.
What Are Literary Elements?
Literary elements are the fundamental structural components that make up every piece of narrative writing. Think of them as the skeleton of a story — remove any one and the whole thing collapses.
Every novel, short story, memoir, and screenplay shares these building blocks. A thriller and a romance novel look nothing alike on the surface, but underneath they both rely on the same core elements.
The key distinction: literary elements are required. Your story must have characters, a setting, and a plot. Literary devices — like metaphor, foreshadowing, and irony — are optional tools you choose to deploy.
Literary Elements vs. Literary Devices
This confusion trips up even experienced writers. Here’s the cleanest way to think about it:
| Literary Elements | Literary Devices | |
|---|---|---|
| Required? | Yes — every story needs them | No — writers choose which to use |
| What they do | Form the story’s structure | Enhance the story’s impact |
| Examples | Plot, character, setting, theme | Metaphor, allusion, allegory |
| Without them | No story exists | Story still works, just less effectively |
A story without characters isn’t a story. A story without foreshadowing is still a story — it just misses an opportunity.
The Complete Literary Elements List
Here’s every literary element you need to know, organized from the most foundational to the more nuanced.
1. Plot
Plot is the sequence of events that make up your story. It’s not just “what happens” — it’s the cause-and-effect chain that drives the narrative forward.
Every plot follows a basic arc, often called Freytag’s Pyramid:
- Exposition — introduces the characters, setting, and initial situation
- Rising action — complications and conflicts escalate
- Climax — the turning point where tension peaks
- Falling action — consequences of the climax unfold
- Denouement — resolution and new normal
Example: In The Hunger Games, the exposition establishes District 12 and Katniss’s life. The rising action builds through the reaping, training, and early Games. The climax arrives when Katniss and Peeta threaten joint suicide. The resolution reshapes the entire political landscape.
Tip for your writing: Your plot structure doesn’t need to follow this arc rigidly. Nonlinear timelines, parallel plots, and subplots all work — but your reader should always feel forward momentum.
2. Character
Characters are the people (or beings) who act within your story. They make decisions, face consequences, and change — or resist change.
Characters fall into several types:
- Protagonist — the central character whose journey drives the story
- Antagonist — the force opposing the protagonist (not always a villain)
- Supporting characters — add depth, create conflict, and reveal aspects of the protagonist
- Foil characters — contrast with the protagonist to highlight specific traits
- Flat characters — serve a single purpose without much depth
- Round characters — complex, multi-dimensional, capable of surprising you
Example: In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is the protagonist and narrator. Bob Ewell serves as the antagonist. Atticus Finch is both a supporting character and moral foil. Boo Radley is a round character who defies the children’s flat expectations of him.
Tip for your writing: Strong character development starts with motivation. Before you write a scene, ask: what does this character want, and what’s stopping them? Every character arc grows from that tension.
3. Setting
Setting is where and when your story takes place. It’s more than a backdrop — setting shapes mood, constrains character choices, and can function almost as a character itself.
Setting operates on three layers:
- Temporal — the time period, season, time of day, historical context
- Geographic — the physical location, landscape, climate, and spatial relationships
- Social — the cultural norms, class structures, political systems, and social rules
Example: In 1984, the setting of Airstrip One isn’t just a location. The ever-present telescreens, the gray architecture, the Ministry of Truth — every detail of the setting reinforces the theme of totalitarian control.
Tip for your writing: Ground your setting in sensory details early. You don’t need paragraphs of description — a few specific, well-chosen details do more work than a page of generic atmosphere.
4. Theme
Theme is the central idea or underlying message your story explores. It’s not a moral lesson or a thesis statement — it’s the big question your narrative wrestles with.
Common themes in fiction include:
- Love and sacrifice
- Power and corruption
- Identity and belonging
- Good vs. evil
- Coming of age
- Justice and morality
- Freedom vs. control
Example: In The Great Gatsby, the theme isn’t simply “money can’t buy happiness.” It’s a more complex exploration of the American Dream — its seductive promise, its corruption, and the impossibility of recapturing the past.
Tip for your writing: Don’t start by choosing a theme. Write your characters and conflicts honestly, and theme will emerge. If you force a message, your story reads like a sermon.
5. Conflict
Conflict is the engine of every story. It’s the obstacle, tension, or problem that prevents your characters from getting what they want.
The types of conflict break down into categories:
| Conflict Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Character vs. Character | Direct opposition between people | Harry vs. Voldemort |
| Character vs. Self | Internal struggle with emotions, desires, or identity | Hamlet’s indecision |
| Character vs. Society | Individual against social norms or institutions | Katniss vs. the Capitol |
| Character vs. Nature | Survival against natural forces | The Old Man and the Sea |
| Character vs. Technology | Struggle against machines or systems | 2001: A Space Odyssey |
| Character vs. Fate | Fighting against destiny or prophecy | Oedipus Rex |
Example: Les Miserables layers multiple conflicts simultaneously. Jean Valjean faces character vs. self (his moral transformation), character vs. character (Inspector Javert), and character vs. society (the rigid justice system that defined him by his crime).
Tip for your writing: The most compelling stories layer multiple types of conflict. External conflict (character vs. character) drives the plot. Internal conflict (character vs. self) drives the character arc. Use both.
6. Point of View
Point of view (POV) determines who tells your story and how much the reader gets to see. Your POV choice shapes everything — from intimacy to information control.
The main POV options:
- First person — “I walked into the room.” Intimate, but limited to one perspective.
- Second person — “You walk into the room.” Rare and immersive, creates a choose-your-own-adventure feel.
- Third person limited — “She walked into the room.” Follows one character closely but with slight narrative distance.
- Third person omniscient — narrator knows everything about everyone. Total flexibility, but risks emotional distance.
- Multiple POV — switches between characters across chapters or sections.
Example: Gone Girl uses alternating first-person POV to devastating effect. Nick and Amy each tell their version, and the reader can’t trust either narrator. The POV choice is the plot device.
Tip for your writing: Match your POV to your story’s needs. Mysteries often benefit from limited perspectives (to control information). Epic fantasies often need multiple or omniscient POV (to show the full scope). Choose deliberately.
7. Tone and Mood
Tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject. Mood is the emotional atmosphere the reader feels. They’re related but distinct.
- Tone = how the writer feels (conveyed through word choice, sentence structure, and detail selection)
- Mood = how the reader feels (created by setting, imagery, and pacing)
Example: In A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket’s tone is darkly humorous and ironic — he’s almost amused by the children’s misfortunes. But the mood is melancholy and foreboding. The contrast between the playful tone and the grim mood creates the series’ distinctive feel.
Tip for your writing: Read your dialogue out loud. If your character is supposed to be angry but your word choices are passive, your tone is fighting your intent. Tone lives in the specific words you choose, not in what you intend to convey.
8. Narrator
The narrator is the voice telling the story. The narrator isn’t always the author — and isn’t always trustworthy.
Types of narrators:
- Reliable narrator — tells the story accurately and honestly
- Unreliable narrator — distorts events through bias, ignorance, or deception
- Observer narrator — tells someone else’s story from the outside
- Participant narrator — is actively involved in the events
Example: In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is a classic unreliable narrator. His perception of events is colored by his emotional state, and readers must read between the lines to understand what’s actually happening.
Tip for your writing: Your narrator’s voice should be consistent from the first sentence. If your narrator is wry and observant on page one but earnest and oblivious on page fifty, you’ve lost your reader’s trust in the narrative voice.
9. Style
Style is how you write — your distinctive combination of word choice, sentence structure, rhythm, and literary technique. It’s your author voice.
Style encompasses:
- Diction — formal vs. informal, simple vs. complex vocabulary
- Syntax — short punchy sentences vs. long flowing ones
- Figurative language — how much you rely on metaphor, imagery, and other devices
- Pacing — how fast or slow scenes move
Example: Compare Hemingway’s spare, declarative style with Faulkner’s dense, winding sentences. Both are masterful. Both are unmistakable. Neither would work in the other’s stories.
Tip for your writing: Style develops through practice and reading widely. Don’t try to sound “literary.” Write clearly, cut what doesn’t serve the story, and your natural voice will emerge over time.
10. Structure
Structure is how your story is organized — the framework that holds all the other elements together.
Common structural approaches:
- Three-act structure — setup, confrontation, resolution
- Five-act structure — exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement
- Episodic structure — loosely connected scenes or vignettes
- Frame narrative — a story within a story
- Nonlinear structure — events presented out of chronological order
- Circular structure — the story ends where it began
Example: Slaughterhouse-Five uses a fragmented, nonlinear structure where the protagonist becomes “unstuck in time.” The structure mirrors the character’s trauma and inability to process events in order.
Tip for your writing: Structure should serve your story, not the other way around. A straightforward chronological structure works perfectly for most stories. Only break from it when the disruption adds meaning.
Literary Elements Often Overlooked
Beyond the ten core elements above, several components deserve attention even though they’re less frequently discussed.
Symbolism
Symbolism uses concrete objects, characters, or events to represent abstract ideas. The green light in The Great Gatsby symbolizes Gatsby’s unreachable dream. Effective symbolism works on two levels — the literal and the figurative — without the author forcing the reader to notice.
Motif
A motif is a recurring element — an image, phrase, situation, or idea — that reinforces your theme. In Macbeth, references to blood appear dozens of times, reinforcing the theme of guilt. Unlike a symbol (which represents something else), a motif gains meaning through repetition.
Imagery
Imagery is language that appeals to the five senses. Strong imagery doesn’t just tell you what something looks like — it makes you smell the rain, feel the rough bark, taste the copper tang of blood. It transforms passive reading into active experience.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing plants clues about future events. Done well, it creates a satisfying “of course” moment when the payoff arrives. Done poorly, it either gives away the surprise or feels invisible until a reread.
How to Use Literary Elements in Your Writing
Understanding literary elements is one thing. Using them deliberately is what separates published authors from aspiring ones.
Start with character and conflict
Your reader follows a character through a conflict. Everything else — setting, theme, tone — supports that central engine. Before you outline, before you worldbuild, answer two questions: who is your protagonist, and what do they want badly enough to fight for?
Let theme emerge naturally
New writers often pick a theme first and then build a story around it. This almost always produces preachy fiction. Instead, write honest characters in genuine conflict. The themes your story explores will reveal themselves.
Match your POV to your story’s needs
Don’t default to first person because it feels natural. Consider what your story demands. Do you need the intimacy of a single perspective? The scope of omniscience? The tension of an unreliable narrator?
Use setting as a story tool
Your setting should do more than establish place. Use it to create mood, constrain your characters’ options, and mirror your themes. A story set during a hurricane isn’t just about weather — it’s about chaos, survival, and forces beyond control.
How AI Writing Tools Handle Literary Elements
Modern AI writing tools can help you plan, draft, and refine every literary element in your story.
Our Pick — Chapter
Chapter uses AI to help you develop characters, outline plot structures, and draft scenes with consistent tone and voice — while keeping you in creative control.
Best for: Writers who want AI assistance with structure and drafting without losing their personal style Pricing: $97 one-time (nonfiction) | Varies (fiction) Why we built it: Because literary elements work best when a writer can focus on the creative decisions, not the blank-page paralysis
Tools like Chapter help you move from understanding literary elements to actually implementing them. You handle the creative vision — what your characters want, what themes matter, which POV serves the story. The AI handles the heavy lifting of generating draft text you can shape.
What Is the Most Important Literary Element?
The most important literary element is character. Without a compelling character, readers have no one to follow, no one to care about, and no reason to keep turning pages. Plot, setting, and theme all exist to serve the character’s journey.
That said, no element works in isolation. A brilliant character in a poorly constructed plot still produces a weak story. The best fiction balances all elements, giving each one the attention it deserves.
How Many Literary Elements Are There?
Most experts identify seven to ten core literary elements: plot, character, setting, theme, conflict, point of view, tone/mood, narrator, style, and structure. Some frameworks include additional elements like symbolism, motif, and imagery.
The exact count depends on how you define “element” versus “device.” The seven listed first in this guide — plot, character, setting, theme, conflict, POV, and tone — are universally agreed upon. Elements eight through ten (narrator, style, structure) appear in most comprehensive frameworks.
FAQ
What are the 7 literary elements?
The seven literary elements are plot, character, setting, theme, conflict, point of view, and tone. These are the fundamental building blocks present in every work of narrative fiction. Each element serves a distinct structural purpose, and removing any one creates an incomplete story.
What is the difference between literary elements and literary devices?
Literary elements are required structural components every story must contain — like plot, character, and setting. Literary devices are optional techniques writers choose to use — like metaphor, allusion, and irony. A story without characters isn’t a story. A story without metaphor is still a story.
What are some examples of literary elements in fiction?
Examples of literary elements in fiction include the plot structure of The Hunger Games (exposition through resolution), the unreliable narrator in Gone Girl, the symbolic setting of 1984, and the layered conflict in Les Miserables. Every published novel demonstrates all core literary elements working together.
How do literary elements work together?
Literary elements work together as an interconnected system. Your characters drive the plot through conflict. The setting shapes what conflicts are possible. Theme emerges from how characters respond to conflict. Point of view controls what the reader knows. Tone colors how the reader feels about all of it. Change one element and every other element shifts.
Can you have a story without all the literary elements?
You cannot have a complete story without all core literary elements. Experimental and flash fiction may minimize certain elements — a prose poem might have minimal plot, or a vignette might lack traditional conflict — but even these forms contain some version of every element. The elements exist on a spectrum, not as binary switches.
