Literary Terms Let’s Practice

Soon we were hemmed in with trees, which in places arched right over the roadway till we passed as through a tunnel; and again great frowning rocks guarded us boldly on either side. Though we were in shelter, we could hear the rising wind, for it moaned and whistled through the rocks, and the branches of the trees crashed together as we swept along. It grew colder and colder still, and fine, powdery snow began to fall, so that soon we and all around us were covered with a white blanket. --Dracula (Bram Stoker) [Setting: forest/winter]

“There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it had roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none. A clammy and intensely cold mist, it made its slow way through the air in ripples that visibly followed and overspread one another, as the waves of an unwholesome sea might do. It was dense enough to shut out everything from the light of the coach-lamps but these its own workings, and a few yards of road; and the reek of the labouring horses steamed into it, as if they had made it all.” -- A Tale of Two Cities [Tone: ominous]

"As graceful as any queen, with her head high in the air, and her long red tail arched in a perfect rainbow, my little dog walked down the table. With her warm gray eyes staring straight at me, on she came. Walking up to me, she laid her head on my shoulder. As I put my arms around her, the crowd exploded.“ -- Where the Red Fern Grows [Mood: joyous; exhilarated]

As she walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no sound from the cardinal who she so often heard singing from the top of the maple tree. She thought she saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when she looked again it was gone. Nevertheless, she shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass over her. It felt like a cloud creeping over the sun. [3 rd person limited omniscient] As she walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no sound from the cardinal who she so often heard singing from the top of the maple tree. He saw her start up the hill, and he moved quickly behind the shelter of the huge old maple tree. If she saw him now, everything would be ruined. [3 rd person omniscient] The girl walked up the quiet hillside. In the top of the maple tree, the cardinal tipped his head back and drew breath to sing. A dead branch cracked on the ground below the bird's perch. The man stepped on the branch and rattled the blades of grass as he moved behind the tree. He watched the girl come up the hillside toward him. Her gaze shifted quickly and warily from one shadowy area high on the slope to another, and she shuddered. [3 rd person objective] [POV]

A.A book like Kramer Versus Kramer is full of conflict between a married couple in the throes of divorce and a custody battle. [man v. man] B.In The Stand and The Andromeda Strain, the people are pitted against viruses that rage out of control, wiping out large portions of the population. [man v. nature] C.In Sophie's Choice, Sophie must decide which of her children to save and which of her children to sacrifice to the Nazis. [man v. self] D.In Frankenstein, the monster has no respite from the judgment and horror expressed by all of society, leaving him loveless and despondent. [man v. man/man v. society] [Conflict]

Introduction/Exposition Rising Action Conclusion/Denouement Falling Action PLOT DIAGRAM