Literary Terms
We will use the following terms:
Character
Diction
Imagery
Exposition
Falling Action
Flashback
Point of View
Theme
Metaphor
Personification
Antagonist
Denotation
Mood
Rising Action
Resolution
Foreshadowing
Setting
Tone
Simile
Alliteration
Protagonist
Connotation
Plot
Climax
Conflict
Suspense
Style
Figures of Speech
Oxymoron
Character
A character is a person
or an animal that takes
part in the action of a
literary work.
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character
or force in conflict with a
main character, or
protagonist.
Now you know why people use the saying
“Don’t antagonize me!”
Protagonist
The protagonist is usually the
main character in a literary
work
The antagonist is in conflict with the
protagonist or, main character.
FAMOUS PROTAGANITS AND
ANTAGONITSTS
Let’s take a moment to think of some
famous antagonists and protagonists
that we can recall from movies, television
shows, books and video games
 List five of each on your note paper

Setting
The setting is the time and place of the action.
May include all the details of a place and time –
the year, the time of day, even the weather.
The place may be a specific country, state,
region, community, neighborhood, building,
institution, or home.
Details such as dialect, clothing, customs, and
modes of transportation are often used to
establish setting.
In most stories, the setting serves as a backdrop
– a context in which the characters interact.
The setting of a story often helps to create a
particular mood, or feeling.
Exposition
The exposition is the
introduction. It is the part
of the work that introduces
the characters, setting, and
basic situation.
Plot
The plot is the sequence of events. The first event
causes the second, the second causes the third,
and so forth.
In most novels, dramas, short stories, and narrative
poems, the plot involves both characters and a
central conflict.
The plot usually begins with an exposition that
introduces the setting, the characters, and the
basic situation.
The conflict then increases until it reaches a high
point of interest or suspense, the climax. The
climax is followed by the falling action, or end, of
the central conflict. Any events that occur during
the falling action make up the resolution.
PLOTLINE
Climax
Resolution
Exposition
Conflict Introduced
Conflict
Conflict is the struggle
between opposing forces in
a story or play. There are
two types of conflict that
exist in literature.
Internal Conflict
Internal conflict exists within
the mind of a character who
is torn between different
courses of action.
Man vs. Himself
External Conflict
External conflict exists when
a character struggles
against some outside force,
such as another character,
nature, society, or fate.
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Rising Action
Rising
action is the part of the
plot that begins to occur as
soon as the conflict is
introduced.
The rising action adds
complications to the conflict
and increases reader interest.
Suspense
Suspense is the growing interest and
excitement readers experience while
awaiting a climax or resolution in a work
of literature.
It is a feeling of anxious uncertainty about
the outcome of events.
Writers create suspense by raising questions
in the minds of their readers.
Climax
The climax is the point of
greatest emotional intensity,
interest, or suspense in the
plot of a narrative. The climax
typically comes at the turning
point in a story or drama.
Falling Action
Falling action is the action
that typically follows the
climax and reveals its results.
Resolution
The resolution is the part of
the plot that concludes the
falling action by revealing or
suggesting the outcome of
the conflict.
THEME
 The THEME
is central idea or ideas
explored in a literary work. It is the
the general subject of a work of
literature.
 Literature may have more than one
theme. Sarah Plain and Tall , for
example, deals with patience, hope
and love. Finding Nemo, deals with
courage, friendship and faith.