Literary Terms 23-24

Fiction

prose writing that tells imaginary characters and events. Short stories and novels are examples of this type of writing. Some writers base their writing on actual events and people, adding invented characters, dialogue, stories, and plots. Other writers reply on imagination alone.

Novel

a long work of fiction - It contains such elements as characters, plot, conflict, and setting. The writer (novelist) develops these elements. In addition to a main plot, it may contain one or more subplots, or independent, related stories. It may also have several themes

Novella

A work of fiction that is longer than a short story but is shorter than a novel

Short story

A brief work of fiction. Like a novel, it presents a sequence of events, or plot. The plot usually deals with a central conflict faced by a main character, or protagonist. The events usually communicate a message about life or human nature. This message, or central idea, is the story’s theme

Plot

Sequence of events in which each event results from a previous one and causes the next. In most novels, dramas, short stories, and narrative poems, it involves both characters and a central conflict

Exposition

Introduces the setting (the time and place of the story), the characters and the basic situation (conflict is often introduced at the end of this part of the plot)

Rising action

Events that increase the tension

Climax

The turning point of the story. It is the high point in the action of the plot. It is the moment of greatest tension when the outcome of the plot hangs in the balance

Falling action

Is the part of a story when the conflict lessons; events that follow the climax

Resolution

Is the story’s conclusion; final outcome is achieved; loose ends are tied up

Character

a person or an animal that takes part in the action of a literary work. The main, or major, one is the most important one in the story, poem or play. A minor one is one who takes part in action but is not the focus of attention

Setting

The time and place of the action. It includes all the details of a place and time - the year, the time of day, even the weather

Theme

Central message, concern, or purpose in a literary work. It can usually be expressed as generalization, or a general statement, about human beings or about life. It is not a summary of its plot

Point of View

The perspective, or vantage point, from which a story is told. It is either a narrator outside the story or a character in the story

Conflict

a struggle between opposing forces. It is one of the most important elements or stories, novels, and plays because it causes the action. There are two types: external and internal

Flashback

A scene within a story that interrupts the sequence of events to relate events that occurred in the past

Foreshadowing

The author’s use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story

external conflict

One in which a character struggles against some kind of outside force, such as another person. Another one may occur between a character and some force in nature

internal conflict

It takes place within the mind of a character. The character struggles to make a decision, take action, or overcome feeling

First-person point of view

Told by a character who uses the first person pronoun “I"

Third-person point of view

There are two kinds, limited and omniscient. This is called “third person” because the narrator uses third-person pronouns such as he or she to refer to the characters

Third-person limited point of view

the narrator relates the inner thoughts and feelings of only one character, and everything is viewed from that character’s perspective

Third-person omniscient point of view

the narrator knows and tells about what each character feels and thinks

Dialect

The form of a language spoken by people in a particular region or group. They differ in pronunciation, grammar, and word choice. (The use of it gives a short story a more authentic fell and helps a character’s words sound more realistic.)

Dialogue

conversation between characters. In poems, novels, and short stories, dialogue is usually set off by quotation marks to indicate a speaker’s exact words

Protagonist

The main character in literary work. It is often a person but sometimes it can be an animal.

Antagonist

This is a character or a force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds. Writers use this device to draw attention to certain words, ideas, to imitate sounds, and to create musical effects

Tone

The writer’s attitude toward his or her audience and subject. It can often be described by a single adjective, such as formal or informal, serious or playful, bitter, or ironic

Mood

the general feeling or atmosphere that a piece of writing creates within the reader

comedy

a literary work, especially a play, which is light, often humorous or satirical, and ends happily. They frequently depict ordinary characters faced with temporary difficulties and conflicts

drama

a story written to be preformed by actors. Although it is meant to be preformed, one can also read the script, or written version, and imagine the action

script

made up of dialogue and stage directions

dialogue

the words spoken by actors

acts

this is how drama is divided

stage directions

notes included in a drama to be describe the work is to be preformed or staged. These are usually printed in italics and inclosed with parentheses or brackets. They describe the movements, costumes, emotional states, and the ways of speaking of the characters

scene

a section of uninterrupted action in the act of a drama

playwright

a person who writes playes

tragedy

a work of literature, especially a play, that results is catastrophe for the main character. in modern drama, the main character can be an ordinary person, and the cause of it can be some evil in society itself

set

the scenery used for a play or movie

theater

a building or outdoor area in which plays and other dramatic performances are given

prop

a portable object other than furniture or costumes used on the set of a play or movie

dynamic character

one who changes or grows during the course of the work

static character

one who does not change

figurative language

is writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally. The many types are known as figures of speech. Common figures of speech include metaphor, personification, and simile. Writers use these techniques to state ideas in vivid and imaginative ways

hyperbole

a form of figurative language that uses exaggeration for effect

imagery

a technique of writing with images

images

words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses. Writers use these to describe how their subjects look, sound, feel, taste, and smell

motive

a reason that explains or partially explains a character’s thoughts, feelings, actions, or speech. Writers try to make their characters’ thoughts, feelings, actions, or speech as clear as possible

narrative

a story. Novels and short stories are fictional examples. Biographies and autobiographies are nonfiction examples

onomatopoeia

is the use of words that imitate sounds. Crash, buzz, screech, hiss, neigh, jingle, and cluck are all examples

personification

figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics

repitition

the use, more than once, of any element of language- a sound, word, phrase, clause, or sentence

simile

a figure of speech that uses like or as to make a direct comparison between two unlike ideas. Everyday speech contains these, such as “pale as a ghost”, “good as gold”, “spread like a wildfire” and “clever as a fox”

symbol

anything that stands for or represents something else. These are common in everyday life. A dove with an olive branch in its beak means peace. A blindfolded women holding a balanced scale for justice

universal theme

a message about life that is expressed regularly in many different cultures and time periods. Folk tales, epics, and romances often contain these like the importance or courage, the power of love, or the danger of greed

metophor

a figure of speech in which something is described as though it were something else. It works by pointing out a similarity between two unlike things

allusion

a reference to something else. in literature, it’s frequently used to reference cultural works (e.g. a biblical story or Greek myth)