Plot Elements Vocabulary

narrative

story or an account of a sequence of events in order that they happen

setting

time and place of a story: time and location

characters

the participants in the story-they can be people, animals, or creatures

static character

a character that does not change, learn, or grow over the course of the story

dynamic character

a character that does change, grow, and learn as a result of the events of the story

characterization

the way that readers learn about the character through their actions, thoughts, dialogue, and interactions with other characters.

character trait

a characteristic possessed by a character in the story; such as kind or loyal

protagonist

the main character in a story

antagonist

a character that opposes the main character; sometimes the villain or “bad guy”

conflict

a struggle between opposing characters or forces in a story (problem encountered by the characters)

internal conflict

occurs inside a character and does not involve any outside forces-man vs. man

external conflict

a conflict or struggle with a force or character outside of the character

man vs. man

a problem involving one or more other characters

man vs. nature

a problem involving nature (weather, wildlife, natural disaster)

man vs. society

problem with a particular sector of society or group-family, friends, community, rules, government

point of view

the angle or vantage point from which the story is told; 1st POV is when the character is telling the story and 3rd POV is when narrator is telling the story

mood

the overall emotion created by a work of literature

tone

the attitude the author takes toward the subject

theme

idea about life that is revealed in a work of literature that everyone can relate to

plot

what happens in a story-related events

exposition

the beginning of the story; learn about characters and setting

rising action

series of events that build on the main conflict

climax

the exciting part of the story where changes happen; turning point of the story

falling action

events of the story that allow the conflict to wrap up

resolution

the outcome or conclusion of the story’s main conflict