1. Literary Terms and Concepts Review 1

2. Allusion

3. Allusion Definition An indirect reference to another literary work or to a famous person, place, or event

4. Anecdote

5. Anecdote Definition A brief account of an interesting incident or event, usually intended to entertain or make a point.

6. Anecdote Example Dave Barry’s humorous account in “Painful Memories of Dating”

7. Antagonist

8. Antagonist Definition Usually the principal character in opposition to the protagonist, or hero of a narrative or drama.

9. Antagonist Definition Continued *Sometimes it is not a character, but something else like force of nature

10. Antagonist Example The hurricane in “The Banana Tree” by James Berry

11. Author’s Purpose

12. Author’s Purpose Definition A writer usually writes to: – express himself or herself – inform or explain – persuade – entertain.

13. Autobiography

14. Autobiography Definition An account of a person’s life written by that person and usually told from the first- person point of view.

15. Biography

16. Biography Definition A true account of a person’s life told by someone else

17. Cause and Effect

18. Cause and Effect Definition When one event brings about the other.

19. Character

20. Character Definition The people who take part in the action of a story or a novel. Sometimes characters can be animals or imaginary creatures.

21. Major V. Minor Characters Events in a story center on the lives of one or more main characters. The other characters in a story are called the minor characters.

22. Characterization

23. Characterization Definition Refers to the methods that a writer uses to develop characters There are four basic methods of characterization.

24. 4 Basic Methods of Characterization Description of a character’s physical appearance A character’s speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions The speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions of other characters Direct comments about a character

25. Climax

26. Climax Definition The moment when the reader’s interest and emotional intensity reach the highest point, often called the turning point.

27. Conflict

28. Conflict Definition A struggle between opposing forces that is developed in the plot of the story

29. External V. Internal Conflict External conflict involves a character pitted against an outside force, such as nature, a physical obstacle, or another character An internal conflict is one that occurs within a character

30. Context Clues

31. Context Clues Definition Unfamiliar words are often surrounded by words and phrases-called context clues- that help readers understand their meaning.

32. Description

33. Description Definition Writing that helps a reader to picture scenes, events, and characters