| Term | Definition |
|---|
| narrator | speaker or character who tells a story |
| first person | major or minor character in the story tells the story and we see and hear only what that character sees and hears |
| third person | story is told by a person outside the story |
| third person omniscient | narrator can tell reader what any character is thinking |
| third person limited | narrator sees the world through only one character's eyes and thoughts |
| time | element or setting that includes past, present, future, year, season, time of day |
| place | element of the setting that includes geography, region, country, state, or town, AND the social, economic, or cultural environment |
| character | a person, an animal or a thing who takes part in the action of a literary work |
| protagonist | main character, whether good or bad |
| antagonist | character who opposes the protagonist |
| round character | has many different traits, faults as well as virtues |
| flat character | shows only one trait |
| dynamic character | develops and grows during the story |
| static character | does not change during the story |
| plot | the sequence of events in a literary work. |
| exposition | introduction of setting, characters and the basic situation at the beginning |
| inciting incident | event that introduces the central conflict, where the action starts |
| rising action | development that leads to the climax |
| foreshadowing | the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to happen. |
| climax | high point of interest or suspense |
| falling action | action after the climax that leads to the denouement or resolution |
| denouement | resolution, general insight or change is conveyed and the story is finished or resolved |
| conflict | the struggle which grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in a plot |
| person vs. person | when one individual is in direct conflict with another person |
| person vs. self | when an individual is in direct conflict with his own desires or beliefs |
| person vs. society | when an individual is in direct conflict with the rules, traditions or human nature or the people around them. |
| person vs. nature | when an individual is pitted against the forces of nature such as weather or terrain |
| allusion | reference to a well-known person, character, event, or work |
| irony | a situation that is unusual or amusing because something strange happens, or the opposite of what is expected happens or is true |
| suspense | feeling of excitement or nervousness when you do not know what will happen next |
| direct characterization | descriptions of the character's appearance or personality that tell you what they are like |
| indirect characterization | actions or statements that imply certain characteristics without actually saying what the character is like |
| imply | to hint something without actually stating it |
| infer | to come to a conclusion based on evidence |
| theme | a main subject or idea in a piece of writing |
Combine with other sets
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