click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Literary Terms: Kind
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Plot | The sequence of events in a story--beginning, middle and end. |
| Exposition | The beginning of the story where the main characters and initial conflicts are introduced. The setting of the story (time, place, weather, culture etc.). |
| Rising Action | Events that lead up to the climax. They help create tension and suspense and may have more conflicts. |
| Climax | The turning point of the story; the moment of tension, emotion, or suspense that determines the resolution. The main conflict is addressed. |
| Falling Action | The tension and shows how the main character resolves the conflict. |
| Resolution/Denouement | The end of the story where typically the main conflict is resolved. |
| Theme- | The central idea or message about life that is expressed in the story. |
| Point of View | First person, second person, third person (omniscient) The perspective in which a story is being told. |
| Foreshadowing | Hints or clues about future events. |
| Conflict | A problem, fight, or struggle between characters, society, nature, or internally within. |
| Person vs. Person | This type of conflict finds the main character in conflict with another character, human or not human. |
| Person vs. Nature | This type of conflict finds the main character in conflict with the forces of nature, which serve as the antagonist. |
| Person vs. Society | This type of conflict has the main character in conflict with a larger group: a community, society, culture, school, etc. |
| Person vs. Self | In this type of conflict, the main character experiences some kind of inner conflict like a making a difficult decision or dealing with a personal problem. |
| Setting | Where and when the story takes place (including the time, place, weather, culture, customs and traditions). |
| Antagonist | The central character’s opponent (creates the conflict). |
| Protagonist | The central character usually involved in a conflict against the antagonist. May also be known as the hero. |
| Climax | The point of tension, emotion, or heightened suspense (the turning point). Determines the resolution. |
| Author’s Purpose | The reason why the author writes: Entertain, Inform, Explain, and Persuade. |
| Mood | The feelings the reader gets from reading the author’s words. |
| Tone | Tone |
| Characters | A person, animal, or even an inanimate object presented as a person who participates in the narrative and experiences the events of the story |
| Internal Conflict | The struggle within a character's own mind, where their emotions, desires, or beliefs clash with each other, forcing them to make a difficult choice or overcome an inner dilemma |
| External Conflict | Any problem or struggle a character faces from an outside force, rather than from their own thoughts or feelings |
| Central Idea | The core message or dominant concept the author intends to convey, serving as the unifying force that ties together the plot, characters, and setting of a story |
| Static Character | A literary character that does not undergo significant internal change or personal development throughout a story, remaining essentially the same from beginning to end. |
| Dynamic Character | A literary character that undergoes significant internal change and growth over the course of a story, often learning a lesson or evolving their personality, worldview, or behavior. |
| Imagery | Language that appeals to the senses. Descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses. |
| Simile | A figure of speech which involves a direct comparison between two unlike things, usually with the words like or as. |
| Metaphor | A figure of speech which involves an implied comparison between two relatively unlike things using a form of be. The comparison is not announced by like or as. |
| Alliteration | Repeated consonant sounds occurring at the beginning of words or within words. |
| Personification | A figure of speech which gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea. |
| Onomatopoeia | The use of words that mimic sounds. |
| Hyperbole | An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect. It is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point. |
| Idioms | An idiom or idiomatic expression refers to a construction or expression in one language that cannot be matched or directly translated word-for-word in another language. |