Elements of Literature

Character Protagonist – the main character Antagonist – works against the main character Round Character – has many character traits Flat Character – has only one character trait

Dynamic Character – changes during the story Static Character – never changes

Characterization Direct – the author states directly what a character is like Indirect – the author gives clues about a character

Conflict – a struggle between opposing forces External - man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society Internal – man vs. self

Foreshadowing – hints about what is going to happen later in a story

Irony Situational Irony – the opposite of what you expect to happen Dramatic Irony - the audience knows something that the characters don’t know Verbal Irony – the speaker says one thing but means another

Mood – the emotion of the story

Narrator First-Person Narrator – the narrator is a character in the story Third-Person Narrator –the narrator is not a character in the story

Plot – the series of events Exposition – the beginning; you learn setting, characters, and background Rising Action Climax – turning point Falling Action Resolution – the end; problems are resolved

Setting – time, place, and weather

Suspense – the quality of a story that makes you want to know what happens next

Symbol – something that stands for itself and something beyond itself

Theme – the central idea or insight of a work of literature

Tone – the author’s attitude toward the subject