Literary Terms!
PLOT
• The sequence of
events in a story.
Think of the Parts of a Story like a
Peak…
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action
Inciting Incident
Exposition
Denouement
The Parts of a Story…
1. Exposition – learn background
information
2. Inciting Incident – when conflict is
introduced
Parts of a Story Continued
3. Rising Action – all events leading to the
story’s climax
4. Climax – turning point of the plot where
the conflict is resolved
5. Falling Action – events resulting from the
climax.
6. Denouement – Aftermath of the story,
where we see how things are once the
conflict is resolved
Activity
1)
In your notes, recreate the plot
diagram. With a partner, fill in
the elements as they apply to
Raymond’s Run.
Conflict – Struggle between
opposing forces
Types of Conflict…
• Internal Conflict – person vs. self
• External Conflict – person vs. person,
person vs. nature, person vs. society,
man/woman vs. machine, man/woman
vs. supernatural.
Setting
1. Place
2. Time
3. Mood
4. Circumstance
Name that setting…
• Describe the four elements of setting for
well-known movies…
– Time
– Place
– Mood
– Circumstance
Theme – the central idea or main
point of a story.
Characters
1. Static (stay the same) vs. Dynamic
(change)
2. Flat (one-sided) vs. Round (manysided)
3. Major/Minor/functional
Protagonist – main character
Antagonist – in conflict
with/opposes protagonist
Characterization
•The act of creating or
developing a character.
Two Types of Characterization…
1. Direct – author states directly what a
character is like.
2. Indirect – learn what characters are like
through description, what they say, do
and think, and how other characters
treat them.
Point of View
•Through whose eyes and
mind the story is told.
Point of View Continued…
1. First Person – told by a character in the
story (uses “I”).
2. Third Person – told by a narrator in the story
(uses he/she/they)
a. Omniscient – all knowing (thoughts of two or
more characters)
b. Limited – only gets in the mind of one character
(or no characters’ thoughts at all)
Symbol
An object, character, or event which
represents something else.
Tone
Attitude the author is trying to
convey about the subject.
Ways to Create Tone:
• Tone can be achieved through what one says:
EX:
The baby whimpered softly, as warm tears pooled around
eyes that began to search desperately for his mother.
Vs.
The baby wailed endlessly, as salty tears jetted from eyes
that began to search demandingly for his mother.
• Or how one says it:
EX: Students, will you take your seats please?
-Caring, Angry, Amused, Confused
Irony
1. Verbal – say one thing and mean
another
2. Dramatic – we know something the
characters don’t know
3. Situational – what we expect to
happen doesn’t happen
Huh???
• Verbal Irony (say one thing and mean
another):
– A guy shows up for a date in ripped jeans and
a t-shirt. His date says, “Oh how nice of you to
dress up for our date.”
– A mother scolds her son, saying “You stop
being so smart with me!” and the son replies,
“If I’m so smart, why don’t you let me make
my own decisions!”
– You try!
Huh???
• Dramatic Irony (we know something the
character doesn’t):
– Pretty much every scene in a horror movie
– Talk shows when the guest doesn’t know that
his ex-girl friend or long lost mother is waiting
for him, but the audience does
– You Try!
Huh???
• Situational Irony (what we would expect to
happen doesn’t):
– An Olympic swimmer drowns.
– You stay up studying all night for a test. When
you get to class, you realize the test is the
next day.
– You Try!
Suspense – a feeling of growing
curiosity or anxious uncertainty about
the outcome of an event.
Foreshadowing – hints at what
may happen in a story.
Flashback – reverting to an earlier
time to relate an event.
Character Motivation -- the
reason for a character’s actions and
decisions.
Personification – giving human
qualities to non-human objects.
EX: The tree branch tapped angrily
against the window.