Literary Terms Please note: these are very different from vocabulary words It is important that you understand and be able to apply the terms to the works we read this semester, and in some instances your own writing!

Character A character is a person or an animal that takes part in the action of a literary work.

Antagonist The Antagonist is a character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist.

Do you know your Antagonists??? On your paper take a few minutes to write down some Antagonists that you can recall from movies, television shows, and video games Remember the Antagonist is in conflict with the Protagonist or, main character! Helpful hint – you should now know why people use the saying “Don’t antagonize me!”

Protagonist The Protagonist is the main character in a literary work Can you name some famous Protagonists that are found in literature?

Diction Diction is the manner in which we express words; the wording used. Diction = enunciation Some easy examples are: Don’t say ‘goin’ – say ‘going’, Don’t say ‘wanna’ – say ‘want to’

Denotation The denotation of a word is its dictionary meaning, independent of other associations that the word may have.

Connotation The connotation of a word is the set of ideas associated with it in addition to its explicit meaning. The connotation of a word can be personal, based on individual experiences. More often, cultural connotations – those recognizable by most people in a group – determine a writer’s word choices.

Denotation versus Connotation Some examples – Cheap is “low in cost” (denotation) but “stingy” or “poorly made” are the connotations of cheap

Let’s use the word HOT The denotation (or dictionary definition – remember d in denotation = dictionary) of HOT is: having a temperature higher than that of a human body. However, when you say “Man! He/She is hot!”, are you saying “Man! He is having a temperature higher than that of a human body!”? No!! You are saying the CONNOTATION of HOT – which could mean a variety of things – man he/she is cute, attractive, beautiful, and many other meanings – those come from personal experiences and cultural meanings, etc.

Imagery Imagery is words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses. Writers use imagery to describe how their subjects look, sound, feel, taste, and smell.

Plot Plot is the sequence of events. The first event causes the second, the second causes the third, and so forth. In most novels, dramas, short stories, and narrative poems, the plot involves both characters and a central conflict. The plot usually begins with an exposition that introduces the setting, the characters, and the basic situation. This is introduced and developed. The conflict then increases until it reaches a high point of interest or suspense, the climax. The climax is followed by the falling action, or end, of the central conflict. Any events that occur during the falling action make up the resolution.

PLOTLINE Exposition Resolution Rising Action Climax Falling Action Conflict Introduced

Conflict Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces in a story or play. There are two types of conflict that exist in literature.

External Conflict External conflict exists when a character struggles against some outside force, such as another character, nature, society, or fate. Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature

Internal Conflict Internal conflict exists within the mind of a character who is torn between different courses of action. Man vs. Himself

Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is the author’s use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story. Writers use foreshadowing to build their readers’ expectations and to create suspense. This is used to help readers prepare for what is to come.

Can you think of an element of foreshadowing?

Suspense Suspense is the growing interest and excitement readers experience while awaiting a climax or resolution in a work of literature. It is a feeling of anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events. Writers create suspense by raising questions in the minds of their readers.

Point of View Point of View is the perspective, or vantage point, from which a story is told. It is the relationship of the narrator to the story.

Figures of Speech A figure of speech is a specific device or kind of figurative language, such as hyperbole, metaphor, personification, simile, or understatement. Figurative language is used for descriptive effect, often to imply ideas indirectly. It is not meant to be taken literally. Figurative language is used to state ideas in vivid and imaginative ways.

Symbolism When an object, item, word, symbol has a deeper meaning most often symbolizing something else. BUQ