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

2. 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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

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

9. 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

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

11. 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

12. 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

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

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

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

19. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

27. 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

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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

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

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

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

35. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

46. 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

47. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

56. 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

57. 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

58. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

69. 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

70. 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

71. 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

72. 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

73. 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

74. 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

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