Literary Terms Review Part I

Protagonist Main Character The “Good Guy”

Antagonist Characters / Forces that work against the main character

Plot / Plot Development Sequence of Events

Exposition The beginning of the story Setting, characters, etc. introduced

Narrative Hook Introduces the central conflict

Rising Action After the central conflict is introduced, this is a series of events and conflicts that lead to the climax

Climax Most exciting/tensest part Sometimes called the “Turning Point” This is when the central conflict comes to a head; similar to ‘right before the commercial break’ moment

Falling Action When you find out how the central conflict is resolved; similar to ‘right after the commercial break’ All of the events from the Climax to the Resolution

Resolution How the story concludes; loose ends are tied up Denouement – an extension after the resolution; “The end of it all”; many times seen in an epilogue; the ‘long-term’ ending

Setting Time & Place of a Story

Suspense A feeling of tense excitement about how something will end; the I need to know NOW! feeling Example: a mystery novel or movie

Conflict A struggle between two opposing forces

Internal Conflict Happens within the character Type: Man vs Himself

External Conflict Happens outside the character 5 Types: Man vs. Man Man vs. Society Man vs. Nature Man vs. Technology Man vs. Supernatural

Literal Language Meant to be understood as is No “deeper meaning” Example: She was ugly.

Figurative Language NOT meant to be understood on a literal level Example: She was as big as a house.

Literary Terms Review Part 2

Foreshadowing Hints of what will happen later in the story

Flashback Returning to previous events

There are four types of characters

Static Character Character stays the same

Dynamic Character Character grows, changes, or matures over the course of the story

Flat Character Not Fully Developed Shows One Character Trait or very few overall Usually minor character

Round Character Fully Developed Character Shows a Range of Character Traits Usually Major Characters

Characterization The way the author presents the character / reveals character traits How the author lets “you” know how a character is Two main methods of characterization

Direct Characterization The author tells you

Indirect Characterization The author shows you how a character is through What the character says What the character does What other characters have to say about that character

Imagery A Picture Painted with Words

Irony The Difference between Appearance and Reality 3 Types: Verbal, Situational, & Dramatic

Verbal Irony When a character says one thing and means another Ex) “Relaxed like a coiled rattlesnake”

Situational Irony Difference between what the reader or character expects & what actually exists or happens Someone goes into the kitchen for a knife but can only find spoons.

Dramatic Irony The reader or viewer knows something the character does not know Ex) In scary movies, When the victim does Not know the killer is Around the corner.

Literary Terms Review Part 3

Symbolism When something stands for / represents something else

Theme The main idea / message of a story The perception about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader; an insight Is not a lesson or moral

A good way to find theme is … …to pay attention to the main character. Does the person go through some sort of change? What does he or she learn?

Point of View The perspective from which the story is told Ask: Who is telling the story? Two main types

First Person Point of View The “I” Point of View - the character is in the story and ‘telling’ it to the reader

Third Person POV Told by a narrative voice outside the action Uses third person pronouns such as “he” “she” “they” Two Types

Limited POV A third person POV; has a ‘limited’ perspective - We only learn what the character tells us and do not get information about others

Omniscient POV A third person POV; the “All Knowing” point of view; tells what multiple characters are doing and thinking

Speaker Used In Poetry - The “Voice that talks to the reader” Not the Poet

Narrator Used in prose - The character or voice from whose point of view events are told

Dialect A form of language as it is spoken in a particular area or by a certain group

Literary Terms Review Part 4

Literal Language Meant to be understood as is No “deeper meaning” Example: The flower is pretty.

Figurative Language NOT meant to be understood on a literal level Example: She was as big as a house.

8 Main Forms of Figurative Language Simile Metaphor Personification Alliteration Onomatopoeia Hyperbole Idioms Clichés

Hyperbole A figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated Ex) He’s as strong as a horse.

Cliché An overused expression or idea Example: “tip of the iceberg”

Rhetorical Question A question to which no answer is expected or to which only one answer may be made

Analogy A comparison between two things that are alike in some way

Stereotype Simplified or stock characters who conform to a fixed pattern or are defined by a single trait Example: Dumb blonde, absent-minded professor, slimy lawyer

Diction Choice of words used by the author

The author’s attitude toward his/her subject Tone The author’s attitude toward his/her subject

Mood The emotions an audience feels from a given passage

Narrative Nonfiction Tells a true story that includes a real setting, all elements of plot, actual people, a point of view, and frequently has a theme

Forms of narrative nonfiction The eight major categories: Biography Autobiography Essay Memoir Newspapers Informative articles True-life adventure Personal Diaries & Letters