Elements of Fiction

Terms in this set (30)

Plot
sequence of events in a story
Foreshadowing
the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a story
Flashback
insertion of earlier events into a story
Suspense
excited anticipation of an approaching climax
Exposition
introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation
Rising Action
events leading up to the climax
Climax
the decisive moment in a novel or play
Conflict
opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot)
Falling Action
events after the climax, leading to the resolution
Resolution
end of the story where loose ends are tied up
Antagonist
the character who works against the protagonist in the story
Direct Characterization
the writer tells us directly what a character's personality is like
Flat Character
a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story
Indirect Characterization
telling what the character is like through actions
Protagonist
the principal character in a work of fiction
Round Character
this character is fully developed - the writer reveals good and bad traits as well as background
Stereotype
a generalized belief about a group of people
First Person Point of View
a character in the story is actually telling the story himself/herself
Limited Point of View
the story is told from the perspective of one of the characters whose information is restricted to what he/she sees, hears, and feels.
Omniscient Point of View
as if God is telling the story
Point of View
the perspective from which a story is told
Dramatic Irony
when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't
Irony
the opposite of what is expected
Situational Irony
an outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected
Verbal Irony
A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant
Mood
the overall emotion created by a work of literature
Moral
relating to principles of right and wrong
Setting
where and when the story takes place
Symbol
something that stands for something else
Theme
The main idea or meaning of a text. Often, this is an insight about human life revealed in a literary work
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