1. Literary Terms Short Story Unit
Freshman English
Literary Terms
Short Story Unit

2. Essential questions for studying literary terms
How does the development of literary terms knowledge convey meaning to a story and bring the story to life for the reader?
How does an author’s point of view and the author’s perspective impact the writing of a piece of literature?
How does understanding the theme of a story help to connect the reader to the story?

3. metaphor
The comparison of two unlike things stating a single comparison that something “is” something else.

4. simile
The comparison of two unlike things stating a single comparison using “like” or “as”

5. symbolism
a concrete object, person, place or action that represents something larger or more abstract than itself, such as a quality, an attitude, a belief, or a value.
The Grim Reaper is a SYMBOL of death

6. allusion
a reference (in literature) to a well-known person, place, event or literary work that the author assumes the reader is familiar with
EXAMPLES:
The girl’s love of sweets was her Achilles heel.
Don’t be a scrooge.

7. alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words in order to produce an effect/emotion (example – tongue twisters)

8. imagery words or phrases that create mental pictures
For the life of him, he couldn't figure why these East Enders called themselves black. He kept looking and looking, and the colors he found were gingersnap and light fudge and dark fudge and acorn and butter rum and cinnamon and burnt orange. But never licorice, which, to him, was real black. (excerpt from Maniac Magee)
The crimson liquid spilled from the neck of the white dove, staining and matting its pure, white feathers.

9. irony The opposite of what is expected Situational irony
The contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually exists or happens
Dally rides the ponies fairly.  He will not cheat when he races.
From The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

10. irony
Dramatic irony
The reader or viewer knows something that a character does not know
In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, only the audience and Ponyboy know that Randy is going to skip the rumble.

11. irony
Verbal irony
When someone knowingly exaggerates or says one thing and means another
“You, punk.  This is what you get for helping those kids, you little punk,” Dally says to Johnny on his deathbed after passing away.
From The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

12. personification
Giving human qualities to inanimate or non- human objects
SNOW
Snow speaks to the people its falling above in the glooming sunlight. Its white sparkling voice echoes as it falls through the air.
Anonymous

13. style
a writer’s characteristic way of writing (determined by the choice of words, the arrangement of words in sentences, and the relationship of the sentences to one another)

14. dialogue
Spoken conversation of fictional characters or real people

15. diction
Word Choice
A writer’s or speaker’s choice of words and way of arranging the words in sentences
Most common forms of DICTION in literature:
formal
informal
colloquial
slang

16. Author perspective
An author’s beliefs and attitudes expressed in his or her writing
If you recognize the author’s perspective, you will recognize any bias in the writing, why an author includes some things, but not others and why an author says things in a certain way.

17. plot Series of related events that make up a story climax
Falling action
Rising action
denouement
Introduction/exposition
resolution
Narrative hook
Generating circumstance

18. conflict A struggle between opposing characters and/or forces
Internal conflict
Person vs. Self
External conflict
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Society
Person vs. Nature

19. Introduction/exposition
Introduction to the characters, setting, tone, and conflict of a story
Also gives needed background information
climax
Falling action
Rising action
Introduction/exposition
denouement
resolution
Narrative hook
Generating circumstance

20. Generating circumstance
The event that leads to writing the novel/puts the plot in motion
climax
Falling action
Rising action
denouement
Introduction/exposition
resolution
Narrative hook
Generating circumstance

21. Narrative hook The beginning of the rising action
The first big event happens in the story
climax
Falling action
Rising action
denouement
Introduction/exposition
resolution
Narrative hook
Generating circumstance

22. Rising action Actions that build the suspense and lead to the climax
Falling action
denouement
Introduction/exposition
resolution
Narrative hook
Generating circumstance

23. climax The turning point, highest point, peak of action in the story
Where the main conflict is resolved
climax
Falling action
Rising action
denouement
Introduction/exposition
resolution
Narrative hook
Generating circumstance

24. Falling action
The actions that result from the climax and resolve any left over conflicts
climax
Rising action
Falling action
denouement
Introduction/exposition
resolution
Narrative hook
Generating circumstance

25. resolution The final outcome, how the problem is solved resolution
climax
Falling action
Rising action
denouement
Introduction/exposition
resolution
Narrative hook
Generating circumstance

26. denouement The end, the finale denouement climax Falling action
Rising action
denouement
Introduction/exposition
resolution
Narrative hook
Generating circumstance

27. narrative
A first or third person account of an event

28. narrator
The character or voice who tells the story

29. author
The person who wrote the story

30. novel
A long fictional story; usually more than 100 pages in length

31. protagonist The central character in a story; The Main character
Not always the “good guy”
Usually the one with whom the audience can relate
Ponyboy from The Outsiders was the PROTAGONIST of that novel.

32. antagonist
The principal character or force that is in opposition with the protagonist

33. setting
Time and place of a story

34. Some Common Themes in Literature
The main idea or message of a story
A perception about life or human nature
Some Common Themes in Literature
The only person you can truly trust is yourself
It is important to follow your instincts
Man is inherently evil
Man is inherently good
It’s important to never give up
Human beings are products of their society
It’s a crime to kill innocence
The innocent aren’t always treated fairly
It is important to stand up for what you believe in

35. foreshadow
A writer’s use of hints or clues to indicate events and situations that will occur later in the plot

36. flashback
A conversation, episode, or an event that happened before the beginning of the story
"When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman, and a ride home.“
The famous first line of The Outsiders which begins the flashback of the novel – Ponyboy writing his English composition in order to receive the credit to graduate.

37. characterization
The way a writer portrays a character; through physical description; through the character’s own speech, thoughts, feeling or actions; or through direct comments about the character

38. Point of view The perspective from which the story is told
First person
the narrator is a character in the story; uses “I” and “me” statements
Third person – the narrator is outside the action
Third person omniscient
Narrator is all-knowing, can see in the minds of more than one character
Third person limited
Narrator can only see into the mind of one character