Transcript Slide 1
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-bystanza 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.