Lit Terms
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47 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Subplot | minor secondary plots running throughout the story; a story related to the main plot through the characters. |
| Round Character | shows many different traits -- faults as well as virtues |
| Flat Character | shows a limited trait -- only one or a few sides to his personality |
| Dynamic Character | developes and grows during the course of the story |
| Static character | shows no change during the course of the story |
| Direct Characterization | the writer tells you directly about the character |
| Indirect characterization | the writer lets the reader learn about the characters |
| 3rd person omniscient | the narrator can relate everything about all the characters |
| 3rd person limited omniscient | the narrator relates only things about only one of the characters |
| Irony | literary techniques that involve differences between the expected outcome and the actual outcome or between appearance and reality |
| Verbal irony | saying the opposite of what you mean; sarcasm is an example |
| Situational Irony | occurs when ther is a an unexpected turn of events; when the opposite of what the reader expects happends |
| Dramatic irony | when the reader knows what will happen in the story but the character does not |
| Allusion | a reference to a well known person, event, place, literary work or work of art |
| Suspense | a feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events in a literary work |
| Tone | the writer's attitude towards his or her audience and subject |
| Motivation | a reason that explains or partially explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions, or behavior; results from a combination of the character's personality and the circumstances that he or she might deal with |
| Dialect | the form of a language spoken by people in a particular region or group |
| Inference | any logical or reasonable conclusion |
| plot | the order of events in a story |
| exposition | part of the plot that provides background information; introduces the setting and important characters |
| rising action | all events leading to the climax |
| climax | the peak of the action; turning point |
| falling action | all events after the climax to the end of the story |
| resolution | the end of the story where the conflict is resolved |
| flashback | part of the story that interrupts the sequence of events to relate an earlier conversation or event |
| character | a person or animal who takes part in the story |
| characterization | ways an author uses to create and develope a character |
| protagonist | the main character |
| antagonist | the character who presents a conflict to the main character |
| setting | the time and place of the action of the story |
| conflict | a struggle between 2 apposing forces |
| Internal Conflict | involves a character in conflict with his or herself |
| external conflict | the main character struggling against an outside force |
| point of view | the person who tells the story |
| first person point of view | an inside narrator; one of the characters inside the story |
| third person point of view | an outside narrator; an observer of the action who relates to the story as an outsider |
| theme | the central message or insight into life revealed through the story |
| foreshadowing | clues that help the reader predict future events in the story |
| symbol | anything that stands for or represents something else |
| surprise ending | a conclusion that violates the expectations of the reader but in a way that is both logical and believable |
| short story | a brief work of fiction |
| novel | a long work of fiction |
| mood | the feeling created in the reader by the literary work or passage; it is often suggested by descriptive details |
| genre | a division or type of literature |
| dialogue | a conversation between characters |
| stereotype | a fixed or conversational notion or characterization |
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