2009/2010 Literary Terms in Progress Keep these notes with you so that when we need to add to the list, you will have it. You are responsible for the terms once they have been provided.

Plot The events in a story. The elements are...

Plot Point I. Exposition Background on story and characters. Example: “Once upon a time, in a forest far, far away, there lived an evil queen and her lovely granddaughter.”

Plot Point II. Conflict Issue/problem that results from the struggle between two opposing forces There are two main categories of conflict...

Plot Point II. A. Internal Conflict occurs within a character. Character v. him/herself

Plot Point II. B. External Conflict occurs outside of a character. character v. society, world, nature, or another character.

Plot Point III. Rising Action Events stemming from conflict.

Plot Point IV. Climax Highest point of action in a story.

Plot Point V. Falling Action Events leading to the conclusion.

Plot Point VI: Resolution The resolution of the original conflict. Also called the Dénoument and includes any action after the resolution.

Characterization Is process of informing an audience about a character. There are two methods authors employ: Direct characterization—the speaker tells us directly about a character and what to think about him/her. Example: “Ms. Labor was the meanest teacher at Sumner High.”

Characterization, cont. Indirect characterization—the speaker reveals a character through his/her words and actions and the audience draws conclusions. Example: “When we walked into 18A, Ms. Labor was kicking a puppy and throwing student’s folders around the room.”

Protagonist Main character of a story, sometimes referred to as a hero.

Antagonist Character that is in conflict with the protagonist. Sometimes called the “bad guy,” and often shown in dark clothing in films.

Point of View is the vantage point from which a story is told. For the purpose of discussing literature we usually focus on the following four types:

First Person Point of View The narrator (story teller) is involved in the story and uses “I” to unfold the plot.

Second Person Point of View The narrator tell the story using the pronoun “you” as the driver of the plot. Most rarely used narrative point of view.

Third Person Limited Point of View The narrator is not involved in the story and reveals the thoughts and feelings of only ONE character.

Third Person Omniscient Point of View The narrator is not involved in the story, and can see into the minds (thoughts and feelings) of all the characters.

Setting Is the TIME and PLACE of the events of the story. This doesn’t just mean which town or country the story is set in, it can refer to the culture, the region, the room, the weather, etc. Or, the setting may include place, but leave the time period ambiguous because the story’s plot and circumstances are timeless.

Tone and Mood Tone is the narrator or author’s attitude about the subject of the piece of literature. Some sample tone adjectives are: angry, romantic, frightened, cheerful, condescending, thoughtful, etc. Mood is the effect of the images, word choice, conflict, tone, etc. on the audience.

Suspense and Foreshadowing Suspense is the quality of a work that makes us continue to read to see what will happen next. Writers create suspense with details that arouse curiosity by foreshadowing, or hinting at what is to come. Ex. A thunderstorm on the morning of an outdoor wedding might foreshadow a bad marriage.

Diction Diction is word choice. Each time a writer chooses one word over another it effects the readers’ experience.

Three Types of Diction 1. High/Formal Diction: Many Polysyllabic words, formal sounding, sometimes considered “pedantic” This is the language you would hear in a college-level discussion. 2. Neutral Diction: This is deliberately clear language. Not overly formal. It is the language we should be using with each other in the classroom. 3. Low Diction: This is language that is full of slang, dialect, and informality. This is the language of the high school hallway.

Explication Line-by-line or stanza-by- stanza explanation of poetry.

Rhetorical Questioning Questioning that you don’t expect anyone to answer. Its purpose is to make people think, and sometimes work out internal conflict in literature and in life.

Types of Irony Situational: when what happens is ABSOLUTELY not what could have been predicted. Example: My neighbor kept talking about his cat, Lucky, and when I saw him he only had three legs and one eye!

Types of Irony Verbal: when what is said what is not what is meant. Example: When my brother dropped my super expensive sculpture and it broke into one thousand pieces, I said, “You are BRILLIANT!”

Types of Irony Dramatic: when the audience knows things that the character’s don’t know. Example: When the husband has purchased an anniversary gift for a wife, and the audience saw him do it, but the wife didn’t, every time she gives him a hint or nags him about it, the audience gets a laugh.

Theme Theme is the most important concept to understand for the purpose of encountering art of any kind. Everyone who writes, sings, draws, sculpts, acts, directs, designs, etc. has a vision or an opinion about some aspect of life that he/she wishes to share with his/her audience. This vision or opinion is called the theme! We should phrase our theme statements universally, U.M.