The parts or the basic items of a literary text are known as its literary elements (e.g., theme, plot, characterization, structure, point of view, etc.).
Rather than looking at a whole novel, you break down and examine its elements individually.
Plot is the series of events or episodes that make up the action of a story.
Characterization is the act of creating and developing a character. The development of a character can be done in several different ways such as through what the character says and does, and through what other characters say about him.
Theme is the major underlying idea in a specific literary work.
Point of View is the perspective, the vantage point from which the story is told.
Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces that causes the action of the story.
See eienglish.org's Literary Terms & Devices to learn more.
Study for a test on a literary work using these 10 easy steps, courtesy of enotes.