| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Plot | sequence of events in a story |
| exposition | introduces setting, characters, and basic situation |
| conflict | struggle between opposing forces |
| external conflict | outside force; may be between two characters caused by a difference in ideas or personalities; man vs. nature |
| rising action | introduces and develops the conflict |
| suspense | feeling of anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work; keeps the reader interested |
| climax | high point of interest or purpose |
| falling action | end of central conflict |
| resolution | event occurring during the falling action; conflict solved |
| antagonist | character or force in conflict with a main character |
| atmosphere | feeling created in the reader by a literary work |
| character | person or animal that takes part in the action of a literary work |
| main/ major character | most important character |
| minor character | lesser role in the story but helps develop the main character |
| flat character | one sided and stereotypical |
| round character | fully developed and has many traits |
| dynamic character | one who changes or grows during a story |
| static character | one who does not change |
| characterization | process by which authors create memorable characters |
| direct characterization | author tells about the character |
| indirect characterization | the character is revealed through their personality, appearance, words, actions, and effect on others |
| internal conflict | in the mind of the character; man vs. self |
| description | portrait of a person, place, or object |
| dialect | form of language spoken by people in a certain region or group |
| dialogue | conversation between characters |
| flashback | scene within a story showing past events during a present scene |
| foreshadowing | author's hinting about future events in the story |
| hero/heroine | character whose actions are inspiring or noble |
| irony | a suprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions or problems |
| hubris | excessive pride usually causing the downfall of characters |
| verbal irony | words used to suggest the opposite of their usual meanings |
| dramatic irony | a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true |
| irony of situation | event that contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience |
| mood | feeling created in the reader by a literary work |
| narrator | speaker who tells a story |
| point of view | perspective from which story is told |
| protagonist | main character |
| setting | time and place of the story or action |
| short story | brief work of fiction |
| symbol | anything that represents something else |
| theme | central message, concern, or purpose;"insight into life"; gift of meaning that the author gives you; underlying mesage |
| tone | writer's attitude toward reader or subject |
| historical setting | places and events from history through the eyes of a fictional character |
| motives | reasons behind a character's actions |
Combine with other sets
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