Literary Terms

Short Story a relatively brief, fictional narrative written in prose. It became a true literary form in the 19th century under the direction of Edgar Allan Poe and others. To understand its elements and those of novels, you must be able to understand and apply literary terms.

Novel fictional prose narrative usually consisting of more than fifty thousand words. In general, the novel uses the same basic literary elements as the short story (plot, character, setting, theme, and point of view) but develops them more fully. Many novels contain several subplots.

Plot series of related events that make up a story. Consists of the following: Exposition: the beginning; gives information about the characters and their problems or conflicts Rising Action: the main events and complications leading to the climax Climax: moment of greatest emotional intensity or suspense; marks the moment the conflict is decided one way or another Falling Action: the main events and complications leading to the resolution Resolution: the way the conflict is resolved Denouement: (French—literal translation: tying up loose ends) the story’s ending; may be the resolution

Plot Chart

Setting the time and place of a story. Often contributes to the atmosphere, conflict, or characterization.

Character person (usu.) in a story

Static Character: one who does not change much during the course of the story Dynamic Character: one who changes as a result of the story’s events

Flat Character: a character with no depth. Has only 1 or 2 traits that can be described in a few words. Round Character: a character who is much like a real person. Has many different character traits, which sometimes contradict one another.

Protagonist: the main character. Most often round and dynamic. Usu. the hero. Antagonist: the character or force that blocks the protagonist. Often the villain.

Subordinate/ Stock Character: often static or flat characters. May play important roles but do not serve as the main characters

Foil: character who is used as a contrast to another character to accentuate the distinct qualities of the two characters

Characterization process of revealing the personality of a character

Direct Characterization: the author tells us directly what a character is like

Indirect Characterization: reader uses own judgment to decide what a character is like based on the evidence provided by the author (what the character says, how the character looks and dresses, what the character thinks and feels, what other characters think or say about them, what the character does)

Point of View vantage point from which the author tells a story

First Person: one of the characters is telling the story using the pronoun I. We know only what this character knows and observe only what this character observes.

Third-person Omniscient: “all-knowing” and “all-seeing” narrator is not a character in the story. Almost like a god telling the story as they know past, present, and future and can tell us what any character is thinking or feeling at any time.

Third-person Limited: the narrator, who is not a character in the story, zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of just one character.

Theme central idea the author wishes to reveal about the subject of a piece of literature. May or may not be a moral or lesson but not usually directly stated.

Conflict struggle, clash, or problem between opposing characters or opposing forces

External Conflict: character struggles against an outside force such as another character (person vs. person), society as a whole (person vs. society), or something in nature (person vs. nature)

Internal Conflict: takes place entirely within the character’s own mind. A struggle between opposing needs or desires or emotions within a single person (person vs. him- or herself)

Allusion reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, science or pop culture

Dialect Y’all are comin’ to my dance recital, ain’t ya? way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people

Dialogue Yes, I know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man who lives on Drury Lane. Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man who lives on Drury Lane? the conversation between characters. An important factor in characterization and in moving the plot forward.

Flashback scene that interrupts the present action of the plot to flash backward and tell what happened at an earlier time

Foreshadowing the use of clues to hint at events that will occur later to build suspense and anxiety

Irony contrast between expectation and reality

Miss me? Verbal Irony: contrast between what is said and what is really meant

contrast between what is expected to happen and what really happens Situational Irony: contrast between what is expected to happen and what really happens 11

Dramatic Irony: contrast between what the audience knows to be true and what a character knows

Mood a story’s atmosphere; the feeling it evokes in the reader

Narrator the voice telling a story …so when I was eighteen, I went to visit this fortune teller who told me I would meet a stranger on the subway and… the voice telling a story

Style Yo, Dudes. Check out my shades and the cool stripes on my tail. Now that’s style ! the particular way in which a writer uses language; created mainly through word choice (diction) and use of figurative language and sentence patterns

Symbol person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as well

Tone I think that more humans should be aware of the trials and tribulations of us fish. Finding Nemo deserves more recognition… attitude a writer takes toward a subject, a character, or the audience; conveyed through the writer’s choice of words and details (often confused with mood)

Voice the writer’s or speaker’s distinctive use of language in a piece of writing; created by a writer’s tone and word choice CYAL8R ^5 ;^)