Conflict
The central struggle that drives the plot of a story or, more generally, any struggle between opposing forces in a
story. Literary scholars often classify conflicts as internal, in which a character struggles with some internal
dilemma, or external, in which a character struggles against outside forces like nature, other characters, or
supernatural forces.
What is an example of
anthropomorphism?
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics, emotions, and behaviors to animals or other nonhuman things (including objects, plants, and supernatural beings). Some famous examples of
anthropomorphism include Winnie the Pooh, the Little Engine that Could, and Simba from the movie The Lion
King.
Personification
A type of metaphor in which human attributes are assigned to inanimate objects or abstract ideas.
Setting
The time and place in which a story unfolds.
Plot
The sequence of major events of a narrative or dramatic work, usually consisting of five basic elements:
exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Exposition
The introduction of background information necessary for the reader or audience to make sense of a story.
Rising Action
The section of a story between the exposition and the climax, generally characterized by a series of events that
build tension and develop the main conflict.
Climax
The point of highest tension in a story, in which the main conflict is faced and ultimately resolved.
Falling Action
The part of a story’s plot that immediately follows the climax (when the main conflict is resolved) and moves
the story toward its resolution.
Resolution
The final action in a play or story, sometimes called the dénouement, which generally resolves any outstanding
conflicts and brings the plot to its conclusion.
Simile
A figure of speech in which two objects are directly compared, usually including either “like” or “as” in the
comparison.
Style
Describes all the elements that contribute to a particular piece or type of writing, sometimes of a specific writer,
such as diction, sentence structure, point of view, use of literary devices, etc.
Metaphor
A figure of speech that features a comparison between two disparate things that are not literally the same.
Unlike similes, metaphors do not use the words “like” or “as.”
Tone
In literature, the attitude of a writer, narrator, or speaker toward the subject matter, as expressed by style, word
choice, or demeanor.
Protagonist
The main character in a narrative. The central plot of the story focuses on this character.
Antagonist
A character or force in a story that opposes, or works against, the goals of the protagonist (main character).
Style
Describes all the elements that contribute to a particular piece or type of writing, sometimes of a specific writer,
such as diction, sentence structure, point of view, use of literary devices, etc.
Theme
An underlying or emerging abstract idea or concept explored in a literary work. One work may explore multiple
themes.