Plot Structure
Characterization
Narrator & Voice
Theme
Vocab Roots
100
In diagramming plot structure, this is known as the story's most exciting or suspensful moment...when something happens that decides the outcome of the conflict.
What is climax?
100
In developing characters, writers generally give us these five pieces of information.
What is the appearance of a character, the dialogue of a character, the actions of a character, the private thoughts of a character, and the effect that the character's actions have on others.
100
This is the literary term that describes the vantage point from which the story is told.
What is point of view?
100
This is an idea or insight about life that gives a story its meaning.
What is theme?
100
This root means literally "to look or see"
What is spec?
200
These things lead to the conflict.
What are complications?
200
Characters are shown by authors in these two ways.
What is direct and indirect characterization?
200
The "I" tells the story.
What is first person point of view.
200
One of the ways to determine a story's theme is to do this with the protaganist.
What is observe how they change from the beginning of the story to the end?
200
This root means faith.
What is "fid" as in confidant.
300
This is what is known in the beginning of the story.
What is the basic situation or exposition?
300
If the author simply tells us what the character is like, this is known as this.
What is direct characterization?
300
The story is told by a third party who frequently refers to characters with third person pronouns (he, she, it) and generally tells the story from the vantage point one character and events are limited to what this character experiences or observes.
What is third person limited?
300
Another way to get at theme is to look at this plot structure element and see how it is resolved.
What is look at how the conflict is resolved.
300
This root means to turn.
What is "vers, vert" as in reverse or invert.
400
This piece of the plot structure can be either internal or external.
What is conflict?
400
If we learn about characters in more subtle ways, this is known as this type of characterization.
What is indirect characterization?
400
The story is told by a godlike observer who knows everything that is going on in the story.
What is third person omniscient?
400
Sometimes a simple way to understanding theme is to carefully consider this part of a story.
What is the title of the story and how does it provide meaning?
400
This root means to "throw out".
What is ject as in "eject".
500
This is the French term for the resolution of the story.
What is denoument?
500
There are two types of characters: flat and round. This type of character has the three dimensional qualities of real-life people.
What is a round character?
500
This refers to a writer's distinctive use of language in a story (diction) and the attitude expressed by the author in the story (tone).
What is voice?
500
A theme must be stated in this way. (3 parts)
What is as a generalization, usually universal, and as one statement.
500
This root refers to life.
What is bio as in biology, the study of life.
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