Literary Terms Freshman
Conflict Struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a short story, play, or novel.
Exposition The kind of writing that is intended to give background information; introduction to the story
Rising Action The events in a literary work that lead to the turning point Action in the story before the climax
Crisis/ Climax A point of great tension in a narrative that determines how the action will come out
Denouement/ Resolution The outcome of the conflict in a play or story
Plot The sequence of events in a literary work
Theme The main idea or the basic meaning of a literary work
Verbal Irony A contrast or incongruity between what is stated and what is meant
Dramatic Irony A device whereby the audience (or reader) understands more of a situation or of what is being said than the character is aware of
Soliloquy A speech usually lengthy in which a character alone on stage expresses his thoughts aloud
Protagonist The main character who strives against an opposing force.
Antagonist A person or force opposing the protagonist in a narrative: a rival of the hero.
Dynamic Character A character that experiences some change in personality or attitude
Static Character This character remains the same throughout the narrative
Characterization The personality a character displays; also the means by which an author reveals that personality
Foreshadowing The use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what action is to come
Flashback A scene in a short story, novel, or play that interrupts the action to show an event that happened earlier For example, “Back in the day when Sarah was a young girl…”
Suspense The quality of a literary work that makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events
Personification A figure of speech in which an animal, an object or the natural force of an idea is given personality or described as if it were human
Autobiography A person’s account of his own life
Simile A Comparison made between two dissimilar things through the use of specific words of comparison such using “like” or “as”
Metaphor A comparison between two unlike things with the intent of giving added meaning to one of them
Imagery Language that appeals to any sense or any combination of senses
Allusion An indirect reference in one work of literature to a person, place, or event in another work of literature or in history, art or music
Rhyme The repetition of sounds two or more words that usually appear close to each other in a poem