Grade 10 Academic English: Elements of Fiction

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terminology for elements of fiction from Grade 10 Academic English notes.

Plot

The sequence of events/actions in a narrative text (short fiction, novel, play, or narrative poem).

Exposition

The beginning of a narrative, which introduces character, setting, and situation, hinting at the main conflict.

Inciting/Complicating Incident/Force

The moment at which the major conflict is created or revealed to the reader.

Rising Action

A series of events between the inciting incident and the climax that complicate the main conflict, building towards the climax.

Crisis

A moment within the rising action at which the protagonist is faced with a crucial decision, the outcome of which leads to the climax of the narrative.

Climax

The point of highest tension of the narrative; the turning point of the plot, which begins to resolve the main conflict; the moment at which the balance of power is reversed.

Falling Action

A series of events between the climax and the denouement/resolution that unravels the main conflict set up by the inciting incident.

Denouement/Resolution

The end of a narrative, at which point the main conflict is completely resolved; it is this point that makes clear what, if anything, the characters have/have not learned (a moment of epiphany or a failure to learn) in order to reveal the meaning/theme of the text.

Conflict

The opposition of two forces (individual versus individual, individual versus self, individual versus society, individual versus nature, etc.); every plot revolves around a conflict and functions to resolve this conflict.

Subplot

A secondary story/sequence of events; present in many longer narratives; its connection to the main plot is significant in that it reinforces the themes through repetition or contrast.

Character

The individuals who take part in the action of a narrative.