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Lit Terms Review
review of literary terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| plot | the events that take place within a story |
| exposition | author reveals the characters, setting, and background info near the beginning of the story |
| inciting incident | first peak of action in the plot; the "uh-oh" moment or first conflict |
| rising action | moments of intense action/conflict that increase the suspense or complicate the problem; leads up to the climax |
| climax | the highest point of action or turning point in the story |
| falling action | declining action after the climax and before the resolution |
| resolution | the solving of the problem or conflict |
| setting | when and where the story takes place |
| tone | the author's attitude toward the writing (i.e., the characters or the situation) |
| mood | the feeling the reader gets from reading the text |
| suspense | a feeling of excitement, curiosity, or expectation about what will happen |
| conflict | struggles or obstacles a character faces |
| internal conflict | conflict that takes place within a character (feelings or emotions) |
| external conflict | conflict that takes place outside of a character; conflict between a character and an outside force |
| character vs. self | conflict over feelings, beliefs, emotions from within a character (internal conflict) |
| character vs. character | conflict between a character and another character (external conflict) |
| character vs. nature | conflict between a character and nature (external conflict) |
| character vs. society | character going against societal beliefs or rules/norms (external conflict) |
| character vs. technology | conflict between a character and technology or machinery (external conflict) |
| character vs. supernatural | conflict between a character and the unexplained (external conflict) |
| theme | lesson, moral, lasting message, or central idea of a piece of writing |
| figurative language | language that is NOT literal; appeals to the senses of the reader or listener; creates images in the mind; conveys meaning vividly |
| simile | comparison of two unlike things using "like" or "as" |
| metaphor | comparison of two unlike things WITHOUT using "like" or "as" |
| idiom | a group of words whose meaning cannot be taken literally |
| allusion | reference made to a person, event, or theme from another work of literature, art, history, or popular culture |
| hyperbole | exaggeration to produce an effect |
| personification | giving human characteristics to something non-human |
| alliteration | repetition of consonant sounds in a sequence of words |
| onomatopoeia | use of a word that sounds like what it means |
| imagery | language a writer uses to convey a picture to the reader's mind; language that appeals to the senses |
| symbolism | when one thing stands for or represents something else |
| narrative point of view | who is telling the story |
| objective point of view | narrator tells what happens without stating more than can be observed or inferred from the story's action and dialogue |
| subjective point of view | author is biased and reveals strong feelings or opinions about characters or situations |
| 1st person point of view | main character is telling the story; "I language" is used throughout |
| 2nd person point of view | narrator tells the story to another character or to the reader; "you language" is used throughout |
| 3rd person limited point of view | narrator tells the story, but knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character |
| 3rd person omniscient point of view | narrator tells the story and knows what all of the characters are thinking and feeling (omniscient = all-knowing) |
| protagonist | hero or good character in the story; undergoes significant change |
| antagonist | villain or bad character (or force) in the story; goes against the protagonist |
| static character | character that does not change much or at all |
| dynamic character | character that goes through a major change based on events that occur in the story |
| flat character | minor character with few characteristics/traits |
| round character | main character with several characteristics/traits |
| denotation | the dictionary definition of a word |
| connotation | the positive or negative feeling conveyed by a word |
| synonym | word that has a similar meaning to another word |
| antonym | word that has the opposite meaning of another word |
| flashback | a transition in a story to an earlier point in time |
| flashforward | a scene that takes the narrative forward in time; often used to represent events expected or imagined to occur in the future |
| foreshadowing | author gives a hint about what is to come (A misleading hint is called a red herring.) |
Created by:
jemillho
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