1. Your Guide Through the Complicated World of Literature Definitions LITERARY TERMS

2. CHARACTERS and CHARACTERIZATION PROTAGONIST: the main character of a story ANTAGONIST: the person or force acting against the main character

3. STATIC: a character who does not change over time DYNAMIC: a character who learns from his/her experiences and changes

4. PERSONIFICATION: giving inanimate objects human characteristics and emotions The palm trees danced in the breeze, happy to once again wave goodbye to the setting sun.

5. POINT OF VIEW: how the story is told. first person (I) second person (You) third person limited (They) third person omniscient (They and their thoughts). Hi! I’m the protagonist! You should follow these directions. Thank you very much… Dad, Mom, and Billy went to see Elvis. Dad wondered if Elvis was really dead. Billy thought Graceland was cool. Mom thought about her first dance.

6. CONFLICT: the opposing forces in the story. Can be character vs self, character vs character, character vs nature, character vs society, or character vs technology.

7. LANGUAGE CONNOTATION: the implied or secondary meaning of a word. DENOTATION: the dictionary definition of a word. Growing plants is COOL! Mrs. Molski, don’t you think it’s a little COOL in here??

8. DICTION: the words used in a story to characterize people or settings. “So you see, it’s imperative that we rush to his aid.” “C’mon! We gotta help him!” FIGURATIVE: the descriptive words used in a story which add to imaginative and connotative content “He was frozen in place.” HYPERBOLE: the use of extreme exaggeration for emphasis OR: I’m so mad I could explode! That was so gross I could die!

9. METAPHOR: comparison of two things without using the words "like" or "as": she was the sun to my dark days. SIMILE: comparison of two things using the words "like" or "as": she was like the sun coming into my room. NARRATOR: the person who is telling the story Bond. James Bond.

10. STYLE: the way an author writes. This may include the use of literal or figurative language, diction, and tone. “She was like the sun coming into my room that dark day. I sat frozen, waiting for that first enchanted sound of her voice.” TONE: the author's attitude toward a topic or readers. This is different from MOOD, the emotions generated by the story. “Never again would England march to war. Never again would children cry for their fathers, would wives miss their husbands. Never again would blood be shed for Imperialism.”

11. PLOT/STRUCTURE FLASHBACK: returning to an earlier time in the story FORESHADOWING: clues that guide the reader toward future events in the story But before…

12. IRONY: events or situations that turn out unexpectedly for the character. An ironic situation may be when a misbehaving student is sent to the principal's office and receives an award instead of being punished. SATIRE: a story or work that uses irony and sarcasm to highlight problems in society

13. SETTING: the time, place, and physical details of when/where a story unfolds SYMBOLISM: the cultural values of events, characters, or settings that heighten the understanding of a story

14. MOTIF: a repeating object, concept, or structure in a story THEME: similar to the main idea of a story, the theme is a thought or idea the author conveys by telling the story. Harry learned it wasn’t about being the winner, or the most powerful, or the best. He learned that he loved his friends above all, and that he would give his life for them. And that made all the difference.