Literary Terms
What is Genre?
Genre is a type of form
of literature. For
instance, someone
might say, “What
genre of literature do
you like to read.
Challenge: Come up
with at least five
genres.
Protagonist
Main character of the story who changes
– the most important character
– makes a realization about self or the world
around him/her
Challenge: Provide the name of a protagonist
and the book, movie, play… he or she is in.
Antagonist
• A major character who opposes the
protagonist
– the antagonist does not change
• Types of antagonists:
– people
– nature
– Society
Challenge: Provide name of an antagonist
and where he/she appears.
Character
• Character – a person in a story, poem or play
• Types of Characters
– Round – fully developed, has many different
character traits
– Flat- stereotyped, one-dimensional, few traits
– Static – does not change
– Dynamic – changes as a result of the story's
events, or plot
Challenge: ID your protagonist and antagonist.
Characterization
How the author develops the characters,
especially the main character
Characterization
• Direct characterization
– The author directly states what the character’s
personality is like.
– Example: “He is a cruel person.”
• Indirect characterization
– A character’s personality is shown through
his/her actions, thoughts, feelings, words,
appearance or other character’s observations or
reactions. (We, as readers, make inferences.)
What is the Plot?
Plot: Series of events that make up a story – in
other words, plot = story
Climax – most exciting part
Falling Action
Rising Action –
(excitement falls)
(excitement is rising)
Resolution
Exposition – think “expose”
Exposition
• Part of the story that introduces characters,
setting, and conflicts
Challenge: Think of a book, movie…. and
list three details you learned in the
exposition.
Setting
• The time and place of the story’s action
• Setting is part of the Exposition
Challenge: Describe the setting of a book,
movie… - be specific and descriptive.
Rising Action
• Consists of a series of complications.
• These occur when the main characters take
action to resolve their problems and are
met with further problems:
– Fear
– Hostility
– Threatening situation
Challenge : Describe one scene in a book…
that is part of the rising action.
Climax
The turning point in the story: the high point
of interest and suspense
Climax
Rising Action or
Complications
Falling Action
Challenge: Describe the climax in a book….
Falling Action
All events following the climax or turning
point in the story. These events are a result
of the action taken at the climax.
Challenge : Describe the falling action in a
book…
Resolution
• (Dénouement) – the ultra fancy word for this
• The end of the central conflict: it shows how
the situation turns out and ties up loose ends
Challenge: Describe the resolution in a
book…
Flashback
The present scene in the story is interrupted
to flash backward and tell what happened
in an earlier time
Challenge: Provide an example
from a book, movie…
Foreshadowing
Clues the writer puts in the story to give the
reader a hint of what is to come
Challenge: Provide an example of
foreshadowing.
Irony
A contrast between expectation and reality
Examples:
The high school student with the highest grades drops out
of school.
The traffic officer is arrested because
of a backlog of unpaid parking tickets.
Challenge: Provide an example from a book,
movie, …. Or create one of your own.
Types of Irony
• Verbal – saying one thing but meaning something
completely different.
Example: Calling a clumsy basketball player “Lebron James”
• Situational – A contradiction between what is
expected and what really does happen
Example: The Titanic sinking.
• Dramatic – occurs when the reader knows
something important that the characters in the story
do not know.
Example: We know who the murderer is, but the character does not 
creates suspense
Challenge : Think of an example of at least one type.
Extra challenge: Go for the big three.
Point of View
Perspective from which writer tells the story
– 1st person- One of the characters is actually
telling the story using the pronoun “I”
– 3rd person limited- Centers on one character’s
thoughts and actions.
– Omniscient- All-knowing narrator. May center
on the thoughts and actions of any and all
characters.
Challenge: Why do you think authors use 1st POV?
Symbol
An object, person, or event that functions as
itself, but also stands for something more
than itself.
Example: Scales function is to weigh things,
but they are also a symbol
of our justice system.
Challenge: Provide examples of
three symbols and their meaning.
Theme
• The central message or insight into life
revealed through a literary work.
• The “main idea” of the story
• What the author wants us to take away
from the story.
Challenge: What is a theme from
your favorite book, movie…?
Conflict
• A struggle between two opposing forces
• Types
– Internal – takes place in a character’s own mind (i.e.,
decision or choice)
• Man vs. Self
– External – a character struggles against an outside
force
• Man vs. Man
• Man vs. Nature
• Man vs. Society
Challenge: Think of an example
of each type of conflict (4).
Suspense
Uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about
what is going to happen next in a story
Tone
• The speaker’s or narrator’s attitude
towards the subject
• Authors create tone through word choice
and imagery.
• May be formal, informal, somber, playful,
etc.
Mood
The general feeling a piece of writing creates
within the reader
Example: You may feel saddened by what you read, or you
may be roaring with laughter.
Challenge: List five different kinds of “mood”
Figurative Language
Involves some imaginative comparison
between two unlike things
– Simile – compares two unlike things using like
or as
Example: “I wandered lonely as a cloud”
– Metaphor – compares two unlike things (not
using like or as)
Example: Life is a roller coaster; it has lots of ups
and downs.
Figurative Language
Personification – Gives human qualities to
non-human things
– “The wind screamed.”
– “The fog crept in quietly.”
Figurative Language
Allusion: Reference to a statement, person, a
place, or events from:
– Literature
– History
– Religion
– Mythology
– Politics
– Sports
Example: “I am surprised his nose was not growing
like Pinocchio’s.”
Imagery
Language that appeals to the senses.
–
–
–
–
–
Touch
Taste
Creating a picture in the
reader’s mind through
Sight
description
Sound
Smell Example: A seven-foot giant with rat-like
teeth, greasy hair, hands like mitts, and
musty, loose clothing
Challenge: Write a sentence with all 5
senses included