Literary Terms Review
English 11
O’Malley
Name that literary term!
• “The road was a ribbon of
moonlight over the purple
moor.”
• I heard the swishing of her skirts
as she walked up the stairs.
• "Some day you will be old
enough to start reading fairy
tales again.“
• The pen is mightier than the
sword.
Name that literary term!
• "He was a remarkable Prime
Minister with feet of clay".
• The less you have the more free
you are.
• “My love is like a red, red rose.”
• Julie wears so much make-up
she has to use a sandblaster to
get it off at night.
• America is a melting pot.
• My desk is groaning
underneath the mountains of
papers to grade.
• I love it when my students
cheat on their tests.
Short Story
• What is a short story?
A short story is:
-fictional (not true)
-a narrative (tells a series of
connected events with a
beginning, middle, and end
-is written in prose, which is words
organized into sentences
organized into paragraphs(as
opposed to poetry)
Short Story
• What is a short story?
A short story is:
-usually 1500 to 3000 words long (but
can range between 300 to 12000 words)
-is concise, concentrated, and
economical (everything in the story
is related to a single idea or
situation and has a good reason
for being there)
Short Story
• A short story usually features one or
more of the following:
PLOT, CONFLICT, CHARACTER,
THEME, SETTING, POINT OF VIEW, MOOD
• These elements are like the paints an
artist uses to create a picture. Just as an
artist may choose to paint a picture
mainly in blues, a writer might write a
story emphasizing plot (or theme, or
character), and pay less attention to
the other elements.
Plot
Plot is the sequence of
events that should be
linked together and follow
one another causally.
In most novels, dramas,
short stories, and narrative
poems, the plot involves
both characters and a
central conflict.
Plot can be represented by
a graph.
PLOTLINE
Climax
Resolution
Exposition
Conflict Introduced
Plot -Introduction/Exposition
The Exposition is the
introduction. It is the
part of the work that
hooks the reader and
introduces the
characters, setting, and
basic situation.
Plot-Initial Incident
The Initial Incident is the first
link in the story’s chain of
events. If this event never
happened, neither would
the story. It is the “pont of no
return”; once this has
happened, there is no going
back.
Plot-Rising Action/Complication
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.
Plot-Climax
The Climax is the point of
greatest emotional intensity,
interest, or suspense in the plot
of a narrative. The climax is
the crisis moment and
typically comes at the turning
point in a story or drama. Now
we know how the story will
end.
Plot-Falling Action
Falling Action is the action
that typically follows the
climax and reveals its
results.
Plot-Conclusion/Denouement/Resolution
The Resolution is the part of the
plot that concludes the falling
action by revealing or
suggesting the outcome of the
conflict. Questions are
answered and the protagonist’s
fate is revealed.
Plot Summary Paragraph
Total of 7-11 sentences
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Intro: 1-2 sentences that tell character, setting,
basic situation
Initial Incident: 1 sentence identifying the event
that starts the chain of events
Rising Action: 3-5 sentences that identify the main
events building up to the climax
Climax: 1 sentence that identifies the high point of
the action
Conclusion: 1-2 sentences that tell how the story
ends, and ties up all the loose ends
Your Turn!
Create a Plot graph for one of the Short Stories
we have studied
Your Turn!
Create a Plot Summary Paragraph for
one of the Short Stories we have studied
Chronological Order
Events that happen in time
order, from first to last.
Flashback
A flashback is a literary
device in which an earlier
episode, conversation, or
event is inserted into the
sequence of events.
Often flashbacks are
presented as a memory of
the narrator or of another
character.
Flashforward
• The action is interrupted
by a vision of
something that will
happen in the future
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is the
author’s use of clues to hint
at what might happen
later in the story. Writers
use foreshadowing to build
their readers’ expectations
and to create suspense.
This is used to help readers
prepare for what is to
come.
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.
Person vs. Himself
External Conflict
External conflict exists when a character
struggles against some outside force, such
as another character, nature, society, or
fate.
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Nature/Environment
Person vs. Society
Person vs. Supernatural/Machine/Technology
Person vs. Machine/Technology
Your Turn!
• Give examples of both
external and internal
conflict in Macbeth.
Character
• A character is a person in
a work of fiction.
• Short stories use few
characters.
• There are a variety of types
of characters used in
stories
Characterization
• Characterization is the
information the author
gives the reader about the
characters themselves.
Characterization
• The author may reveal a
character in several ways:
a) his/her physical appearance
b) what he/she says, thinks,
feels and dreams
c) what he/she does or does
not do
d) what others say about
him/her and
how others
react to him/her
Narrator
• The person telling the story
• The narrator is NOT the
author or writer.
• The narrator can be a
character in the story.
Protagonist
• The protagonist is the main
character in a literary work
• The protagonist is not
necessarily the good guy.
Antagonist
• The antagonist is a character
or force in conflict with a main
character, or protagonist.
• The antagonist is not
necessarily the bad guy.
Your Turn!
• On your paper take a few minutes to write
down some Antagonists that you can recall
from movies, television shows, and video
games
• Remember the Antagonist is in conflict with
the Protagonist or, main character!
• Helpful hint – you should now know why
people use the saying “Don’t antagonize
me!”
Foil
• The foil is a character
whose behaviour,
attitudes, or opinions
contrast with those of the
protagonist.
• The foil helps us better
understand the
protagonist.
Flat / Stereotypical
• A flat character is twodimensional, does not
have the depth or
complexity of a real
person.
• A flat character’s actions
are predictable,
stereotypical, and not lifelike.
Stock
• A stock character is a
familiar character who
appears regularly in stories
• For example, the wicked
landlord, the dumb blond
or jock, the corrupt
politician, the crazy
scientist, etc.
Round
• Round characters are
multi-dimensional,
complex, unpredictable,
and life-like.
• Round characters have
strengths and weaknesses,
positive and negative
traits, just like a real person.
Static
• A static character stays the
same, and does not
achieve any personal
insight, growth or change
by the end of the story.
Dynamic /Developing
• A dynamic character
develops and undergoes a
permanent change as a
result of the events of the
story.
Epiphany
• An epiphany is
experienced by a
character’s sudden
realization of an important
or significant insight.
• It is an like a light bulb
suddenly switching on in
your head.
Motivation
• A character’s motivation is the
conscious or unconscious
need, drive, or incentive that
causes a character to behave
in a certain way.
• Characters must have sufficient
or plausible motivation in order
for the reader to find the story
realistic or effective.
Direct Characterization
• The author tells us what the
character is like.
• For example, “Bob Loblaw
was angry that his name
sounded like ‘Blahblahblah’
when said quickly.
Indirect Characterization
• The author shows us the
character’s actions,
thoughts, and words, and
we conclude for ourselves
what the character is like.
• For example, “Bob
grumbled whenever
anyone said his name
fast.”
Caricature
• A caricature is an artistic
form in which someone or
something is imitated in an
amusing and generally
critical manner.
• A caricature exaggerates
a distinctive or striking
feature with intent to
ridicule.
Character Analysis / Sketch
• A common English assignment
where you reread a piece of
literature and focus on one
character.
• Gather information that the
author has presented directly, or
draw conclusions from the clues
the author has presented
indirectly (via the character’s
words and actions).
Character Analysis / Sketch
• Present the character analysis in a
written paragraph or orally, covering:
1. Background (family, education,
occupation, significant experiences
2. Physical appearance
3. Personality (traits and values)
4. Thoughts and feelings (likes, dislikes,
worries, fears, hopes, dreams, etc.)
Theme
• Theme is the main idea or
message of the story, usually
implied rather than stated.
• Theme is NOT a summary of
the action.
• Should be stated in a
sentence, as opposed to one
word. It is what the author
wants to say about the topic.
Theme
• “is” theme: this is the way life is
(e.g. love is frightening and
painful, but wonderful)
• “should” theme: this is the way life
should be, presents a moral (e.g.
true love should conquer hatred)
• The author told us the story to
teach / show us a general truth
about life (we don’t have to
agree)
Setting
• The setting of a literary work is
the time and place of the
action, and by implication, the
norms and customs of that
time and place.
• In most stories, the setting
serves as a context in which
the characters interact. The
setting of a story often helps to
create a particular mood, or
feeling.
Setting
• Consider the difference the
setting plays in the story of a 16year old girl getting pregnant:
• in Jerusalem in 30 A.D.
• in Victorian England
• in San Francisco in the swingin’
60’s
• in Surrey today
• 50 years in the future on Mars
Mood
• The mood is the general
emotions of the story, or of
the author in creating the
story
• Writer’s use many devices
to create mood, including
images, dialogue, setting,
and plot.
Tone
• The tone is the attitude a
writer takes towards his/her
subject (e.g. Serious,
admiring, angry, envious,
etc.)
• Tone is created through
choice of words and
details.
Comic Relief
• Comic relief is a funny part
inserted into a serious or
tragic work (especially a
play) to break the tension.
Suspense
• Suspense is the growing
interest and excitement
readers experience while
awaiting a climax or
resolution in a work of
literature.
• Writers create suspense by
raising questions in the
minds of their readers.
Dilemma
• The dilemma is the
situation in which the
character must choose
between two equally
unfavourable and
undesirabl.e outcomes
Dialogue
• Dialogue is actual
conversation between
characters.
• Dialogue creates interest,
develops plot, and reveals
character.
• When writing dialogue, a
new paragraph is started
whenever a new
character speaks.
Dialect
• Dialect is the speech of a
particular geographical
area, social class, or
occupational group,
distinguished by its
vocabulary, grammar, and
pronounciation (e.g.
American southern drawl
“Ah’m mighty glad to
make yo’ acquaintance”).
Irony
• Irony is the difference between what
you expect to happen, and what
actually occurs. There are 3 kinds of
irony:
1. Verbal - the difference between
what is said, and what is meant /
intended.
e.g. “Nice haircut!” to a friend whose
hair looks terrible
(Note: sarcasm is verbal irony
intended to hurt or ridicule)
Irony
2. Situational - the difference between
what is appropriate / expected,
and what actually happens
e.g. The police station gets robbed;
the fire chief’s house burns down;
the day you finally make it to school
on time, it turns out to be a Pro-D
Day
Irony
3. Dramatic - the irony occurring when
the implications of a situation,
speech, etc., are understood by the
audience but not by the characters
in the play / story because the
audience knows something that the
character doesn’t
e.g. In “Romeo and Juliet”, Romeo
plans his suicide thinking Juliet is
dead, but we know she isn’t.
Your Turn!
• The beautiful woman lawyer walked into
the courtroom wearing a visibly stained
suit that frayed at the edges.
• “Oh, and there’s a thrilling shot of one of
the kids being sick on a small fishing boat
off the coast of Florida and we are
hovering over him offering him salami
and mayonnaise sandwiches. That one
really breaks us up.”—Erma Bombeck
• Juliet is actually not dead, but asleep
with the help of a strong potion. Romeo
sees her lying in the tomb and kills himself
because he believes her to be dead.
Parody
• Parody is a literary composition
that mimics the style of
another author in a humourous
or satirical way.
• The TV show “The Simpsons”
will often parody literature; for
example the episode “Das
Bus” is a parody of the novel
Lord of the Flies.
Satire
• A literary composition in which topical
issues, folly, or evil are held up to scorn by
means of ridicule and irony (humour is
pointed and intentionally critical).
• Jonathan Swift, anAnglo-Irish satirist,
suggests in his A Modest Proposal that Irish
peasants be encouraged to sell their own
children as food for the rich, as a solution
to the "problem" of poverty.
• On TV, shows such as South Park, The
Colbert Report, and This Hour Has 22
Minutes are examples of modern satire.
Allegory
• Allegory is a device in which
characters or events represent or
symbolize ideas and concepts
• As a literary device, an allegory in its
most general sense is an extended
metaphor
• William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies
is considered an At an allegory
about the conflicting impulses
toward civilization (living by rules,
peacefully and in harmony) and
towards the will to power.
Point of View
Point of View is the identity of the
narrative voice; the person or entity
through whom the reader experiences
the story. It is identified in two ways:
1. Who is telling the story? (Mary, the
father, the unknown narrator, etc., not
the author)
2. Which point of view is the author using?
In other words, how much access do
we have to the narrator’s thoughts and
feelings?
Point of View
2a. First-person (I, We)
The narrator is standing in the
middle of as it happens. The
reader has total access to the to
the narrator’s thoughts/feelings
ONLY.
e.g.: “I told him to leave me alone.
I was furious.
Point of View
2b. Second person (You)
The style which addresses the
reader as you, hoping to
make you identify with the
character.
Point of View
2c. Third Person (He, She, Mrs.
Fancypants, They)
The narrator is standing
outside the story, watching it
happen.
e.g.: She told me to leave her alone.
The reader has access to the
thoughts /feelings of none, or one or
more of the characters. (see next slides)
Point of View
2c. Third Person Objective (none):
The narrator knows thoughts / feelings
of none of the characters, but reports
the words / actions observed.
e.g.: Bob glared at Mandy, who was
talking to Rico. When Bob ordered her
to come over, Mandy’s face got red
and her jaw clenched. Rico said,
“Man, I hate your boyfriend! Tell him
to chill!”
Point of View
2c. Third Person Limited Omniscient (one):
The narrator knows thoughts / feelings of
only one of the characters.
e.g.: Bob was jealous. Mandy’s face got red
and her jaw clenched. Rico said, “I hate
that Bob! Tell your boyfriend to chill,
Mandy!”
Point of View
2c. Third Person Omniscient (two or more):
The narrator knows thoughts / feelings of all
of the characters, plus has “god-like”
access to events past, present, future,
anywhere.
e.g.: Bob was jealous. Mandy got angry.
Rico hated Bob.
Your Turn!
Which point of view are each of the following?
1. Mary's uncertainty cut like a knife in my gut.
2. Mary's uncertainty cut like a knife in John's
gut.
3. You know how uncertainty can cut like a
knife?
4. Mary’s uncertainty cut like a knife in John’s
gut, froze her mother in shock and made the
entire room stand still.
Create your own example of third person
omniscient, giving one of your characters ant
bites.