Gerdes 1st Week AP Lit

climax

the point in a story in when the conflict reaches its highest intensity

conflict

tension, opposition, or struggle that drives a plot

denouement

"untying the knot"; conflict has been resolved and balance is restored to the world/plot of the story

direct characterization

narrator tells the reader who a character is by describing the background, motivation, temperament, or experience of a character

epiphany

character's transformative moment of realization; "sudden revelation of the whatness of a thing"

exposition

in a literary work, contextual and background information told to readers (rather than shown through action) about the characters, plot, setting, and situation

falling action

in a plot diagram, this is the result (fallout) of the climax/turning point; in this phase, conflict is being resolved

flashback

a scene in a narrative set earlier in time than the main action

foreshadowing

plot device in which future events are hinted at

indirect characterization

author shows rather than tells us what a character is like through what the character says, does, or thinks, or what others say about the character

motif

recurring pattern of images, words, or symbols that reveals a theme in a work of literature

objective narrator

narrator who recounts only what characters say and do, offering no insight into their thinking or analysis of events; interpretation is left to the reader

parody

comic or satiric imitation of a particular literary work or style; lighthearted or exaggerations to appear ridiculous

persona

a voice and viewpoint that a narrator adopts in order to deliver a poem or story

resolution

working out of a plot's conflicts, following the climax

rising action

events, marked by increasing tension and conflict, that build up to a story's climax

satire

literary work that uses irony to critique society or an individual

setting

where and when the story takes place

setting, social (social setting)

manners, mores, customs, rituals, and codes of conduct in a work; authors may use it to suggest approval or disapproval of any of these through a description of place

theme

underlying issues or ideas of a text

unreliable narrator

narrator who is biased and doesn't give a full or accurate picture of events in a narrative; sometimes due to madness, youth, inexperience, or bias; authors often use it to distinguish the character's point of view from their own and/or to make an ironic point

point of view

the perspective from which a work is told; know these four most common narrative vantage points

first-person point of view

narrator is a character in the story and refers to themself as "I"; sometimes unreliable

second-person point of view

uses second person pronouns, "you"; reader is a character in the story; rare

third-person limited omniscient point of view

narrator relates actions using third person pronouns, "he, she, it"; reader usually privy to thoughts and actions of only one character

third-person omniscient point of view

uses third person pronouns; reader is privy to the thoughts and actions of all characters in the story