LITERARY ELEMENT & THEIR DEFINITIONS
Antagonist
a character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist
Character
a person or animal that takes part in a narrative (story)
Characterization
The act of creating or developing a character through Appearance and personality Speech and behavior Thoughts and feelings Opinions of others
Climax
the high point of interest or suspense in a story; also called the turning point
Conflict
a problem or struggle between opposing forces; can be internal or external
Exposition
Mr. Green: the banker Mrs. Scarlet: the loan officer Where: in the Living Room When: at midnight What: fight with the candlestick introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation
Falling Action
the events of a narrative following the climax, leading to the resolution
Flashback
a scene within a story that interrupts the sequence of events to relate events that happened earlier
Foreshadowing
an author’s use of hints or clues to hint about future events
Inciting Incident/ Initiating Event
the first event; it gets the ball rolling
Irony
the opposite of what is meant; a contradiction between what happens and what is expected
Mood
the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage
Motive/ Motivation
the reason that explains a character's thoughts, feelings, action, or speech
Plot
the sequence of events in a narrative (story)
Point of View
the perspective the narrator is telling the story 1 st person, narrator is a character in the story; uses pronouns I, me, and myself 3 rd person, the narrator is not a character in the story; uses pronouns he or she 3 rd person, omniscient, an outsider who can enter the mind/s of one or more characters
Protagonist
the main character in a literary work
Rising Action
the events that lead to the climax; increasing the the interest or suspense
Resolution
the end or outcome of the conflict in a plot
Setting
the time and place of the action of the story
Theme
central message, concern, or purpose of a story
Alliteration
repetition of beginning consonant sounds
Allusion
a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
Figurative language
does not mean exactly what you say; a meaning other than the ordinary meaning
Hyperbole
exaggeration that is obvious and intentional
Idiom
common expression that doesn’t make sense if taken literally
Literal language
means exactly what you say
Metaphor
compares two unlike things without the use of like or as
Onomatopoeia
uses words that imitate sound
Personification
an object or nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
Simile
a direct comparison between two unlike things using the words like or as.
Symbol Symbolism
anything that stands for or represents something else
Tone
the author’s attitude toward the audience and subject
THE END
Character Traits
the qualities, attitude, and values that a character has or displays
Dialogue
a conversation between characters.
Subplot
a story in a novel or film that is separate from the main story and is not as important as the main story
Inference
R E A D I N G a conclusion drawn by the reader from “reading between the lines” by using prior knowledge and text
Parallel Episode
certain elements of the plot are repeated
Imagery
an author uses words and phrases to create mental images for the reader -sun baked backs -pumpkin patch
Suspense
a feeling of anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work
Short Story
a brief work of fiction which presents a sequence of events or plot
Fiction
literary work based on the imagination, not fact