Need to Know Literary Terms

Need to Know Literary Terms Plot Simply put, plot is what happens in the story. Some call it the storyline.

Need to Know Literary Terms Character Characters are described based upon their personalities, actions, appearance, and thoughts. Protagonist – main character (not always the good guy) Antagonist – opposition to the main character (not always bad) Setting The setting of the story is not just the where of the story, but also the when. A story written about the beaches of Normandy would be very different if the story was set on June 6, 1944 than if set June 6, 1929. The setting needs to try and make the scene as real as possible. The better the reader can picture the scene, the better they can see the story.

Need to Know Literary Terms Conflict A struggle between opposing forces in a story or play, usually resolved by the end of the work. The conflict may occur within a character as well as between characters. Character vs. Character Society Nature Self

Need to Know Literary Terms Point of View Point of View is the perspective used to tell a story. First Person A character is telling the story. Third Person A narrator is telling the story. Omnicient The storyteller is all-knowing. Limited The storyteller knows only the thoughts of one character.

Random Doodle Break – Any Questions?

Need to Know Literary Terms Theme The idea of the poem/literary work created from its details of language, character, and action, and cast in the form of a generalization Mood The attitude created in the reader by the work Tone The implied attitude of a writer toward the subject and characters of a work

Need to Know Literary Terms Alliteration The repetition of consonant sounds. Especially at the beginning of words. Shelley sells seashells by the seashore. Assonance The repetition of vowel sounds within a line. “Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself."

Need to Know Literary Terms Diction The writer’s word choice to convey action, reveal character, imply attitudes, identify themes, and suggest values. Denotation The word’s literal/primary meaning. Connotation The associations that go beyond a word’s dictionary meaning. Example: Terminal Denotation – of, forming, or situated at the end of something Connotation - death

Random Doodle Break – Any Questions?

Need to Know Literary Terms Metaphor A comparison between essentially unlike things without an explicitly comparative word such as like or as Examples: “My love is a red, red rose” (Robert Burns) "Life is a journey. Enjoy the Ride.” (Nissan) Simile A figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using like, as, or as though He growled like a bear Still as a stone Built like a tank

Need to Know Literary Terms Symbol/Symbolism An object or action in a literary work that means more than itself, that stands for something beyond itself. “Two roads diverge in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both” is a symbol for a life choice/decision (from Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”) Image/Imagery A concrete representation of a sense impression, a feeling, or an idea. Imagery refers to the pattern of related details in a work (light vs. dark). “At noon / turtles / enter / slowly / into / the warm / dark loam” (from N. Scott Momaday’s “New World”) Loam = a fertile soil of clay and sand containing humus

Need to Know Literary Terms Personification Attributing human characteristics to something nonhuman. The camera loves me The sun greeted me this morning Onomatopoeia The use of words to imitate the sounds they describe. Buzz, pow, pop, zoom, splash, knock knock, etc. Hyperbole A figure of speech involving exaggeration. We have been taking notes for hours. My backpack weighs 1,000 pounds.

Need to Know Literary Terms Irony A contrast or discrepancy between what is said and what is meant or between what happens and what is expected to happen in life. Satire A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies. Sarcasm A cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound. Parody A humorous, mocking imitation of a literary work, sometimes sarcastic, but often playful and even respectful in its playful imitation.