Fiction/Non-Fiction Terms Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Allusion A quick reference in a literary work to something that is well known in the society Eg.: referring to the Bible, Shakespeare, Lady Gaga, etc. Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Antagonist The characters or forces arrayed against the protagonist(s) Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Anti-Climax An effect which works against the climax Often acts to bring a lofty tone “down to earth” Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Aside A short dramatic speech, said by a character to him/herself, but out loud, so the audience can overhear Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Audience Obviously, the person/people experiencing the play/book/song/film, etc., but also the “type” of person the author had in mind when creating the work Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Conflict General term for negative interactions between characters Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Conflict: Internal Internal – struggle inside a character’s mind or self – person vs. self Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Conflict: External Person vs. Person – conflict between 2 or more characters Person vs. Environment – conflicts between a person and their situation – Nature, society, group, etc. Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Character General name for someone in a story Can also refer to a person’s overall personality and sense of morality Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Characterization The way in which a character is “drawn” by the author – the way in which we are introduced to the character’s traits Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Characterization Presentation – how the author tells the reader about a character: – Direct – the author actually tells the reader about a character’s traits, motivations, etc. – Indirect – the author has other characters tell the reader about another a particular character, or shows us through the character’s actions Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Character - Traits Round – character has many traits Flat – character has few traits Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Character - Traits Dynamic – character’s traits change over time Static – character’s traits do not change over time Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Character - Types Stereotype/Stock – character with clichéd or familiar traits which appears often in especially escapist-type literature – Eg. James Bond, Robin Hood, Wicked Stepmother, etc. Realistic – A character who is NOT based on a stereotypical cliché, but on “real life” Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Character - Types Foil – a secondary character whose traits or actions contrast with those of the main character in order to draw attention to them Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Cliché An idea or part of a artistic work which has been used so much that it has lost its original meaning or effect Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Climax The point at which the action and/or tension is at its height Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Colloquial Language Words and phrases that are used in informal settings, but are not appropriate for formal ones; “everyday” language Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Comedy A literary or dramatic work that is not serious, and usually has a happy ending Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Compare Looking at how 2 things are similar Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Complication A challenge or hurdle placed in the way of the protagonist Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Connotation The ideas, thoughts, or feelings associated with a particular word or phrase Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Contrast Looking at how 2 things are different Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Crisis The main problem or troubling event that sets the action going Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Denotation The thing or situation that a word refers to, its definition, or actual meaning Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Denouement French for “unknotting” Loose ends of the plot tied up, either after the climax, or (more commonly) in the very final scenes of the story Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Dialogue The words spoken, usually in conversation, by characters in a story or play Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Dilemma A choice that a character must make between 2 unpleasant outcomes, in response to a plot challenge Dilemmas are often hard choices that involve moral or ethical issues Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Drama A work meant to be represented onstage by actors speaking dialogue, but also refers to any plot that has many ups and downs Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Epiphany A term for a character’s sudden realization about something Think “lightbulb moment” – a thought or idea that occurs to a character that changes his or her outlook Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Episode A particular incident or event within the main plot of a story Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Exposition Tells background information Sets up plot events Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Falling Action Events following the climax Crisis resolved; character conflicts dealt with Aka: the Resolution Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Figurative Language Language which uses various sorts of comparisons to talk about multiple layers of meaning at once, often using similes, metaphors, etc. Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Flashback A scene inserted into the plot that shows events that occurred at an earlier time Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Foreshadowing Hints given in the plot as to its outcome Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Genre A particular category of literature, such as Drama, Romance, Comedy, Tragedy, etc. Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Hyperbole “hy-PER-bo-lee” When something is emphasized using deliberate exaggeration Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Image A visual picture, described in words Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Imagery The use of visual pictures to add meaning to literature Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Indeterminate Ending An ending in which the reader cannot be certain of the outcome Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Irony A literary device in which the writer expresses a meaning that is different than the words used Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Jargon Specific words or language used by a certain technical or professional group Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Metaphor A direct comparison of one thing to another Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Mood Also called atmosphere or ambience The “feeling” presented in the story through the way the author describes scenes or plot events Eg.: It was a dark and stormy night… Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Moral A message the author is trying to give through the story Also, a term that indicates whether or not the actions of the characters are good or just, from a societal perspective Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Narration Story as told by a narrator Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Narrative A story told by a narrator Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Narrator The person telling a story Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Oxymoron A figure of speech that puts 2 things which puts 2 opposite things together Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Paradox A statement which seems to contradict itself, but does in fact work Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Personification Giving inanimate objects human-like qualities or characteristics Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Persuasion Attempting to prove a position and convince an audience of that position, using logic and emotion Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Plot What happens in a story Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Point of View The viewpoint through which a story is told Types: – First Person – “I” – solely the POV of the narrator reader only knows as much as narrator Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Point of View Types Cont’d: – Third Person Omniscient – “God Mode” – narrator knows characters’ thoughts and feelings – Third Person Limited Omniscient – narrator knows thoughts and feelings of one character, but not necessarily others Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Point of View Types Cont’d: – Objective/Dramatic – “fly on the wall” – narrator is completely outside the action, and simply relates it as he/she sees it happening. Eg. Reality TV/DVD extras footage, etc. Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Propaganda Literature made and distributed in order to put forth a particular argument or point of view Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Protagonist The main character(s) in a story Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Rising Action The series of events leading to the climax Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Sarcasm An ironic verbal device, in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Satire The ridiculing of any subject in order to demean it and make it laughable Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Setting The place and time in which a story occurs Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Simile A direct comparison using “like” or “as” Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Slang Informal, everyday-type language that takes the place of more usual, or more serious terms Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Style The particular way an author writes – his or her word choice, sentence structure, rhythms of language, etc. Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Subplot A secondary plot or story woven in-between the events in the main plot Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Surprise Ending An ending which does not naturally follow on from the main points in the plot Most effective when foreshadowed information is revealed to mean something completely different from the reader’s expectations Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Suspense A feeling of tension that builds throughout the plot Usually linked to what will happen at the climax Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Symbolism When an important person, place or thing in a story represents both itself, and something else The secondary representation is generally figurative = not a literal one Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Theme The central idea or thesis of a story Can be stated directly by the author, or indirectly through the outcome of the plot Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Tone The author’s attitudes and/or biases that come through in the story, whether in character descriptions, or in their dialogue Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Tragedy A serious literary or dramatic work that usually ends with the death or downfall of the protagonist(s) Kelly Road English Department – English 10

Understatement The deliberate downplaying of something to make it seem less than it really is Kelly Road English Department – English 10