Literary Terms Flashcards
Characterization
the method in which the author develops a character. This includes the character’s thoughts, words and actions, and what a narrator and other characters say about him/her or it.
Literary Elements
the things that make up a story; a story can’t exist without including most of these elements.
Protagonist
central character or hero (can be the bad guy)
Antagonist
A person of force that opposes the protagonist. (causes conflict)
Setting
the time & place in which a story takes place
Plot
a. ) Exposition
b. ) Rising action
c. ) Climax
d. ) Falling action
e. ) Resolution
the structure of a story (the events that make up a story)
a. ) basic background information is revealed.
b. ) conflicts develop
c. ) turning point
d. ) events that occur after the climax
e. ) conflicts are resolved, the way things are going to be form now on.
Theme
the author’s message of literature(or main moral/message of piece), what we learn about life from reading.
Conflict
problem
a.) within a character’s own mind, a personal conflict
(man vs self
b.) a problem a character faces with an outside force
a. man vs man (with another character)
b. man vs nature (weather, flood)
c. man vs society (a group, law, attitudes and belifs of a group, government.)
Point of View
a. ) First person
b. ) third person
c. ) third person omniscient
the persepective from which a story is told(narrated) (the
“voice” telling the story)
a.) the narrator is a part of the story and uses personal pronouns (I,me)
b.) the narrator is an outside voice telling the story, not a part of the story.
c.) the narrator is an outside voice that is all-knowing and can tell a character’s thoughts and feelings.
Literary Techniques
strategies an author can use to add to the story.
Irony
a. ) situational
b. ) dramatic
c. ) verbal
something unexpected
a. ) when something other then what is expected to happen, happens.
b. ) when the reader or audience know more about a situation than a character. (ex. scary movie)
c. ) when a person says or writes something but means something else.
Symbolism
when an object stands for something greater than itself it has another meaning. (Ex: black cat could mean bad luck.)
