Literary Terms

Protagonist

The central character in a story, play, or novel.

Antagonist

A force working against the protagonist, or main character.

Characterization

The manner in which an author develops characters and their personalities.

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces.

Internal:

Person vs. Self

External:

Person vs. Person

Person vs. Nature

Person vs. Fate

Person vs. Society

Plot

The sequence of events in a literary work

Exposition

The essential background information at the beginning of a literary work.

Rising Action

The development of conflict and complications in a literary work

Climax

The turning point in a literary work

Falling Action

Results or effects of the climax of a literary work

Resolution/Denouement

End of a literary work/ when loose ends are tied up and questions are answered.

Setting

The time and place of a literary work

Mood

How a reader feels while reading. Mood is created by the author’s use of detail, setting, characters, etc.

Theme

The message about life or human nature that is conveyed by a literary work.

Point of View

The vantage point or perspective from which a literary work is told.

1^st person – the narrator is the character (use of ‘I’)

3^rd person – the narrator is outside of the story ( use of ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’)

 Figurative Language

Language that represents one thing in terms of something dissimilar ( no-literal language) Includes simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, symbol)

Hyperbole

An author’s use of exaggeration or overstatement for emphasis.

Metaphor

A comparison of two things that have some quality in common.  Does not use the words like or as.

Personification

Giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea.

Simile

A comparison of two things that have some quality in common.  Uses the words like or as.

Symbol

A person, a place, an object, or an action that stands for something beyond itself.

Flashback

The method of returning to an earlier point in time for the purpose of making the present clearer.

Foreshadowing

A hint of what is to come in a literary work.

Irony

A contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens.

Verbal Irony

(Sarcasm)

a speaker’s intention is the opposite of what he or she is saying. For example, a character stepping out into a hurricane and saying, “What nice weather we’re having!”

Situational Irony

occurs when the actual result of a situation is totally different from what you’d expect the result to be

Dramatic Irony

occurs when the audience knows a key piece of information that a character in a play, movie or novel does not. This is the type of irony that makes us yell, “DON’T GO IN THERE!!” during a scary movie.

Tone

The author’s attitude toward the subject of a work.