 | Term | Definition |
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genre |
a category of literature; the three main literary genres are prose, poetry, and drama. |
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symbol |
a person, place, an activity, or an object that stands for beyond itself |
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foreshadowing |
a writer's use of hints or clues to indicate events that will occur later in the plot. |
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characterization |
the methods that the writer uses to develop the character's personality. |
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short story |
a brief work of fiction in which the main character faces a conflict that is resolved in the plot |
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falling action |
all events leading to the resolution. |
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resolution |
concluding ideas about how the conflict has ended. |
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theme |
the central idea in a literary work. |
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mood |
the feeling or atmosphere the writer creates for the reader. |
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setting |
the time and place in which the action of the story takes place. |
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suspense |
the excitement or tension that readers feel as they become involved in a story and become eager to know the outcome of the plot. |
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plot |
the sequence of events in a literary work. |
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exposition |
the introduction to the setting, the characters, and the basic situation. |
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rising action |
all events leading to the conflict. |
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climax |
the high point of interest or conflict. |
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point of view |
the method of narrating a literary work. |
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First person narrator |
a narrator within the story who tells the story from the "I" perspective. |
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third person narrator |
a narrator outside of the action who tells the story from the he/she vantage point. |
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third person omniscient narrator |
the narrator who is all knowing. |
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situational irony |
the contrast between what a reader/character expects and what actually happens. |
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external conflict |
a character's conflict with an outside force. |
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internal conflict |
a character's conflict with himself/herself. |
