Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

Lit. Terms Review

Terms in this set (50)

fiction
a story which is at least partly made up
non-fiction
a true story
genre
a type of literature
author
a person who wrote the story
narrator
the voice who tells the story
point of view
the angle from which the story is told
omniscient
all-knowing
fly-on-the-wall narrator
a narrator who can only tell what can be seen or heard
first-person narrator
a narrator who is in the story
third-person narrator
a narrator who is not in the story
mood
the reader's response/feelings after reading the story
tone
the author's attitude/emotions that come through the story
plot line
the events as they happen in the story
exposition
the beginning of the plot line; introduces the setting and characters; the explanation part of the story
setting
where and when the story takes place
characters
"people" in the story
antagonist
opponent of the main character
protagonist
the main character
static characters
characters who don't change
dynamic characters
characters who do change
conflict
the major problem in the story
internal conflict
a character versus himself or herself
external conflict
a problem between the character and an outside force
rising action
a portion of the story with more conflicts and suspense
suspense
a growing feeling of excitement or anxiety that makes the reader curious
climax
the moment of greatest tension; the turning point in the story
falling action
the action after the climax
resolution
wrapping up the loose ends in a story; the outcome of the conflict; the last part of the plot line
foreshadowing
clues the author gives about what is going to happen later
flashback
jumping back in time in the story through a memory
dialogue
talking
dialect
the way characters talk because of where and when they're from
irony
the contrast between what is expected and what really happens
verbal irony
sarcasm; saying the opposite of what you mean
situational irony
a happening that is the opposite of what you'd expect to happen
dramatic irony
when the audience knows something that the character does not
theme
a lesson or a message the author sends in the story
symbol
images with several possible meanings or interpretations
adage
poverb or traditional saying
allusion
a reference to or mention of something
alliteration
repetition of beginning consonant sounds
assonance
repetition of vowel sounds inside words
hyperbole
exaggeration for effect
imagery
use of sensory words to describe
inference
a conclusion based on a premise/facts; a deduction
metaphor
a comparison for two unlike things
simile
a comparison using "like," "as," or "than"
personification
giving human personality traits to non-humans
paradox
a contradictory statement which may be true
metonymy
a word that is used to stand for something associated with it
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...