Literary Terms

setting

time (time of day, season, period in history) and place in which the action occurs. It may be suggested through dialogue and action, or described by narrator/character. Contributes to mood

conflict

Struggle between two opposing forces. More than one conflict can be present.

Ex:

Person against another person

Person against nature

Person against society

Person against self; internal conflict

Protagonist

leading character

antagonist (bad guy)

character or force in a story that opposes the chief character/protagonist

characterization

methods an author uses to develop the qualities and personalities of people. Authors may describe characters directly or indirectly through actions, speech, and thoughts

Round Character (dynamic; major)

any character that has many individual and dynamic traits. This character changes because of experiences in the story.

Flat Character (static; minor)

minor character who is not individualized and rounded, but is undeveloped and unchanging

Stereotype Character

conventional character that possesses little or no individuality

Foil Character

character who contrasts another character, the protagonist, to highlight one of their attributes

Narrator

voice telling the story

point of view

relationship between the teller of the story and the character and action in it

first person pov

narrator is a character in the story. Uses “I” to tell the story

third person limited pov (like 1st person)

outside narrator enters the mind of only one character and records the thoughts and feelings of that character alone. Pronouns such as “she, he, they”

third person omniscient

outside narrator who knows everything about the characters and can enter their minds and comment on thoughts, feeling, and actions

objective pov

author describes only what can be seen

plot

series of related events selected by the author to present and bring about the resolution of some conflict or problem

What order does the plot normally follow?

1. exposition 2. rising action 3. climax 4. falling action 5. resolution/denouement

exposition

first stage of a plot. Author supplies background and introduces characters, settings, and situations

rising action

action before the climax. includes the complication which marks the onset of the major conflict in the story. Participants are -antagonist, protagonist and their ideas they represent-

climax

the turning point in a story in which the results of the conflict become inevitable; conflict and tension are brought out to fullest extent, and a main character takes decisive action

falling action

action after the climax

resolution/denoument

final stage of the plot, when all mysteries are explained; conflict is resolved; characters exit

suspense

any device used by an author to maintain a reader’s interest

flashback

interruption of the narrative to show an episode that happened before the particular point in the story

foreshadowing

technique of providing the reader with hints, clues, indications, about future action

theme

message the author wants to send to the readers. May be directly stated or implied

irony

used to describe a contrast between what appears to be and what really is

verbal irony (sarcasm)

actual meaning of a statement differs from what the statement literally says

irony of situation

refers to an occurrence that is contrary to what is happened

dramatic irony

a situation in which events or facts not known to a character are known to another character and the reader.

tone

author’s attitude or feeling toward a subject or audience (ironic, bitter, angry, humorous, joyous, serious, cynical, mocking, whimsical, sympathetic, desperate)

mood

story’s atmosphere or the feeling it evokes in the reader. Often created by story’s settings.

imagery

representation in language of sense experience; what can be seen, heard, touched, tasted, smelled, as well as what is felt internally.

symbol

something concrete which represents something abstract

allusion

figure of speech whereby the author refers to a subject matter such as a place, event or literary work by way of a passing reference

diction

author’s choice of words

denotation

a literal, explicit, dictionary definition

connotation

a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings in addition to the literal meanings or denotations