Transcript LITERARY TERMS

Literary Terms &
Story Elements
OR
Everything you ever wanted to know
about literary definitions
SETTING



the time in which
the story takes
place
the place where
the story takes
place
the mood of the
story
MOOD
 The
overall feeling that is
created by an author’s choice
of words
 This is part of the setting.
CHARACTERS
The individuals responsible for moving the
story line from the beginning to the end
 Antagonist - a character in Static Character- a
conflict with the protagonist; character who stays the same
throughout the story
the “bad guy”
 Protagonist - the main
character; the “good guy”
Dynamic Character- a
character who matures and
gains knowledge in the course
of the story
Flat Character- a character
who is one-sided and often
stereotyped
Round Character- a
character who is fully
developed and exhibits many
traits; often both faults and
virtues
PLOT LINE
CLIMAX /
TURNING POINT
RISING ACTION
(EVENTS & CONFLICT)
RESOLUTION
FALLING ACTION
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION / EXPOSITION
INTRODUCTION / EXPOSITION

Background material
about the characters,
setting, and situation
with which the author
introduces the
essentials of the story
to the reader - at the
beginning of the plot
line
RISING ACTION
 The
part of the
story, including
the events and
conflict, in which
the tension
rises; rising
action builds to
the story’s
climax
CONFLICT
 The
source of tension and drama in
the story or the “story problem”
TYPES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Person against person
Person against himself (internal conflict)
Person against nature
Person against machine
Person against society
6. Person against fate
CLIMAX / TURNING POINT

The moment when the action comes to its highest
point of dramatic conflict and the event that leads
to the solution of the conflict
RESOLUTION
This
is how the
conflict is
solved, or,
resolved.
FALLING ACTION
 The
part of the
story after the
resolution and
leading to the
conclusion when
there is a sharp
decline in
dramatic tension.
CONCLUSION
 The
ending of the story
POINT OF VIEW
(the perspective from which the story is told)




FIRST PERSON - story is told from the
perspective of one of the characters; uses first
person pronouns (I, me, we, us)
THIRD-PERSON LIMITED - told from the
perspective of one of the characters; using third
person pronouns (he, she) Only know limited
characters’ thoughts
THIRD-PERSON OMNISCIENT - narrator knows
all of the characters’ thoughts and feelings
THIRD PERSON OBJECTIVE- narrator only knows
what is external to the characters
THEME
 The
central “message” that the author
intends to communicate by telling the
story; often universal truths that are
suggested by the story (general
statements about life or people)
SYMBOLISM

The use of an image, object,
character, or action that stands for
an idea beyond its literal meaning.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Figurative Language an imaginative use of
words that goes beyond dictionary
meanings
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
a comparison of two
things using the words
"like" or "as"
a description of thing
as if it were another
without using "like" or "as"
a description of something
nonhuman as if it
were human
The old teacher was
like an old witch.
She was a rock
to the grieving
couple.
The wolf cried
throughout the
mountains that
evening.
FLASHBACK

a scene in a story
that interrupts the
events to relate
events that
occurred in the
past
FORESHADOWING
 Gives
readers
clues about
events that will
happen later in
the story
IRONY
TYPES OF IRONY
verbal
irony
irony of
situation
dramatic
irony
words are
used to suggest
the opposite of
their usual meaning
an event occurs that
directly contradicts
what the characters
might do
a contradiction
between what a
character thinks and
what the reader knows to be true
STYLE

the ways that an author uses
language - including word choice,
length and complexity of
sentences; use of imagery and
symbols as well as figurative
language
TONE
 the
author’s attitude toward toward
his readers and his subject
DIALOGUE
 The
actual words that characters speak.
Dialogue dramatizes conflict and helps to
portray the characters of the story
ALLITERATION
 The
repetition of the same beginning
sounds
After the altercation, all of the apes
approached the anteaters
with affection.
THAT’S
ALL
FOLKS!!