Lit Terms

Topic

a single word that is explored in a text

Theme

a universal idea or message explored in a text that is a complete sentence

Exposition

introduction and background of the text or narrative

Rising action

real start of the plot after background is introduced

Climax

most intense turning point of the story

Falling action

action that leads to the conclusion following height of story

Resolution/Denouement

End of the story resolving story arc

Setting

where the story takes place

mood

general atmosphere of the entire text

Direct characterization

Straightforward description of a character

Indirect characterization

reading details about a character that are not explicitly stated by the text

Static character

Character who does not change throughout the course of the story

Dynamic character

Character who changes or evolves in the story

Round character

A multi-dimensional character who has more than one distinguishing characteristic

Flat character

Character who only has one dimension relative to the story

External conflict

Struggle against another character, nature, or society outside themselves

Internal conflict

struggle against internal values, desires, emotions, traits, and interests of a character

symbol

Something in the story that has figurative meaning before the literal

Flashback

Interjection of a moment back in time in a narrative

Tone

author's attitude toward a certain subject

Situational irony

outcome of a situation that is different than what is expected

Foreshadowing

narrative suggestion of what is to come

Character vs character conflict

characters against eachother

Character vs self

character vs self or representation of self

Character vs society conflict

character vs the larger community in which he lives

Author

who wrote the text

narrator

voice adopted by the author

First-person narrator

narration told from the voice and mind of the character in the text

Third-person limited narrator

Narration told from outside a character within their own perspective

Third person omniscient narrator

Narration told from outside of all characters with a perspective beyond the characters

Unreliable narrator

A narrator with compromised credibility

Character vs nature

character vs natural causes, weather, or animals

Verbal irony

When what is said is opposite of the literal meaning

Dramatic irony

when the audience knows more than what the characters words or actions indicate

fiction

a made-up story

non-fiction

not a made-up story

diction

the way that something is said

connotation

extra cultural and emotional context of what was being said by a word

denotation

dictionary definition of the word