Terminology
The conflict
causes the action to rise
Theme
The general idea or insight
that is revealed through the
story.
Examples: Friendship,
betrayal, hate, greed, guilt,
fate
Prose
Most writing that is not
poetry, drama, or song.
The ordinary form of written
language.
Dialogue
A
conversation
between two
characters.
Plot
A series of events that
begins with a conflict and
ends with a solution.
Point of View
1st person-uses “I’’
3rd person limited- is told
by a narrator that can see
the action, but can only
tell the thoughts of one
character.
3rd person omniscient- an
“all-seeing” narrator
Allusion
A reference to an event, book, myth,
place, or work of art
The Bible
Satire
A type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an
attempt to bring about a change.
Narrative
A story told in fiction,
nonfiction, poetry, and
drama.
Parts of the plot
The
The
The
The
The
exposition
rising action
climax
falling action
resolution
Foreshadowing
Clues that suggest the events
that are going to occur.
In “The Monkey’s Paw” Herbert
sees simian faces in the fire which
suggest the doom to come.
The CONFLICT...
Can be
Internal
or
external
Characterization
The method in which the
author creates the characters.
There are two main types:
direct and indirect.
Four kinds of conflict
Man
Man
Man
Man
vs.
vs.
vs.
vs.
Man
Nature
Self
Society
Genre
A category or type of
literature.
Indirect
Characterization
When the author shows the
reader the character’s traits
through their actions, or the
actions and words of other
characters.
Example: Morgan laughs at yet
another one of Marti’s funny
jokes.
Atmosphere/Mood
The feeling created in the reader
by the author through the
literature.
…”horror paralyzed him, as he stared between
his legs at that terrible length of street far
beneath him…”
 -Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets
Setting
The time and
place in which
the story
occurs.
Imagery
A word or
phrase that
appeals to one
or more of the
five senses.
“The air was a
mix of apples
and cinnamon.”
Vernacular
The language spoken by the people who
live in a particular locality.
Aphorism
A brief, cleverly worded statement that
makes a wise observation about life.
Ex. “Fish and visitors smell after three
days.”
Denotation
A word’s dictionary definition.
Anecdote
A brief story, told to illustrate a point or
serve as an example of something.
Stream of Consciousness
A style of writing that portrays the inner
workings of a character’s mind.
Ex. Catcher in the Rye
Parallelism
The repetition of words or phrases that
have similar grammatical structures.
Dramatic Irony
Information that the audience is
aware of, is withheld from the
characters.
Example: In “The Invalid’s Story” by Mark
Twain, the protagonist thinks that he smells a
dead body, but the readers know that it is
just cheese.
Analogy
A comparison made between two things
to show how they are alike.
Flashback
A scene that interrupts the normal
chronological sequence of events in a
story to depict something that happened
at an earlier time.
Connotation
The associations and emotional overtones
that have become attached to a word or
phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary
definition.
Magic Realism
A genre developed in Latin America that
juxtaposes the everyday with the
marvelous or magical.
Idiom
A phrase that is not logical in its literal
meaning.
Ex. It’s raining cats and dogs.
Symbol
An object or idea that stands
for something other than itself.
Example: The stars on the
American flag
stand for states.
Fiction
is prose
writing that
tells about
imaginary
characters and
events.
Suspense
Is when the
author
creates
tension in the
story.
 Will he score the winning
goal?
Parody
A work that makes fun of another work by
imitating some aspect of the writer’s style.
Ex. Weird Al Yankovich: “Eat It!”
Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”
Antagonist
The character who opposes
the protagonist.
Ex. The Green Goblin
Situational Irony
A difference
between what the
characters or
readers expect to
happen and what
really happens.
“So they disarmed
this bomb, huh?”
Direct characterization
When the author tells the
reader about the character in
a direct manner.
Example: Shirley is a mean
girl.
Protagonist
The main character in a work
of fiction-the character readers
would like to see succeed.
Ex. Spiderman
Catalog
A group or listing of items or images;
often used in poetry.
There are two types of
characters:
Static -the
character stays
the same
Dynamic-the
character
grows,changes,
or learns.
Tone
It is like mood, but all encompassing.
The overall attitude of the author, the
connotation of the words chosen, the
setting, the motifs, etc.
Irony
A contrast between what is
and what seems to be.
The are three kinds:
Verbal
Situational
Dramatic
Allegory
A story or poem in which characters,
setting, and events stand for other people
or events or for abstract ideas or qualities.
Motif
A recurring structure, contrast, or literary
devices that can help to develop and
inform the piece’s major theme
Archetype
An original or fundamental imaginative
pattern that is repeated through the ages.
It can be a plot, an event, a character, a
setting, or an object.
The plot of selling one’s soul to the devil
Verbal Irony
Words are used
to suggest the
opposite of what
is meant.
In Shakespeare’s
“Julius Caesar”
Antony calls Brutus
an “honorable man”
when, in fact, he
wants the audience to
think the opposite.