Fiction Flashcards
(25 cards)
Addresses the “where” and “when” of the story. Explicitly or through contextual evidence.
Setting
Classically “the hero” of the story, but more generally the individual the main thread of the plot follows
Protagonist
Character(s) that usually frustrate the ambitions of the protagonist. More often than not, a source of tension in the plot.
Antagonist
Characters not explicitly fleshed out in the narrative, often given some salient details but no depth of development
Usually notable for one kind of personality trait or characteristic.
Flat Character
2-Dimensional Character
From introduction to conclusion, character varies very little.
Static Character
Character experiences (possibly) significant changes or transformations
Dynamic Character
Manner in which narrator crafts/unrolls the action:
Term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence.
Plot
Explicit description of the events through unbiased lens
Action
A secondary strand of the plot that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. May connect to main plot, in either time and place or in thematic significance. Often involve supporting characters, those besides the protagonist or antagonist.
Subplot
Two characterizations of narratives/narrators based on potential biases in how story is related to audience.
Reliable & Unreliable
Four major narrative points of view:
First-person [“I…”]
Second-person [“You…”]
Third-person, omniscient and limited [they, she, he, etc]
A struggle or contest; conflict; especially between the protagonist and antagonist in a literary work.
Etymology tells us this word is rooted in greek.
agon
Philosophical idea that only one’s own mind is sure to exist
To be alone with self
akin to massive narcissism, excessive self-love, self absorption.
Solipsism
“solus ipse”
Derived from the Greek word “_______”, this term means “appearance” or “manifestation. In literary terms, it is the moment in the story where a character achieves realization, awareness or a feeling of knowledge after which events are seen through the prism of this new light in the story.
Popularized by James Joyce
“epiphaneia”
epiphany
A transition (in literary or theatrical works or films) to an earlier event or scene that interrupts the normal chronological development of the story.
An unexpected but vivid recurrence of a past experience, usually in the first person, but can be in other points of view
Flashback (Analepsis)
The opposite of analepsis and jumps forward in time
Flashforward (Prolepsis)
Often considered a non-linear plot structure (also a literary device) because it gives you a look into the future and therefore acts out of the continuum of time.
Used carefully to hint at possible future outcomes without overtly shouting, “hey, don’t you think you should look under the bed for the monster?”
Foreshadowing
Action in chronological order and does not skew from that order.
Linear timeline
a technique sometimes used in literature wherein events are portrayed out of chronological order
Non-linear timeline
Characters are vital to the development and resolution of the conflict. In other words, the plot and resolution of conflict revolves around these characters.
Major Characters
Usually serve to complement the major characters and help move the plot events forward.
Minor Characters
Complex personality; he or she is often portrayed as a conflicted and contradictory person.
Round Character
while characters are often round and dynamic, that does not mean these two terms mean the same thing. The former refers to a character’s ________, while the latter refers to a character’s ___________.
Same argument apples to the terms flat & round in character development.
complexity
development over time
Central topic a text treats.
Can be divided into two categories:
Theme
1) Thematic concept is what the reader “thinks the work is about”
2) Thematic statement being “what the work says about the subject”.
