Fiction Terms
What do we call the main character of a story?
Protagonist
Who or what is a movie's director?
The artist in charge of the creative vision of the film.
What the three types of paragraphs in a college-level essay?
Introduction, Body Paragraphs, Conclusion
Name two ways you should study for the final exam.
- Review your notes!
- Review relevant course slides (Casablanca, Minority Report)
- Review the story and play
- Review films
- Review example essays on MyCC
- Review essay and quote structure
In "The Minority Report," the short story, John Anderton kidnaps one of the pre-cogs to prove he is innocent—true or false?
False—This only happens in the movie version of the story.
What is the term for the main source of conflict in a story?
The antagonist (or source of antagonism)
The terms character and actor mean the same thing: T / F
False—a character is a fictional creation for the story; an actor is a real person who plays a character in a movie
How many paragraphs are there in a college-level essay?
5 (Intro, 3 x BPs, Concl)
Your essays should contain mostly plot summary: T / F?
False!
Summary means to retell the plot in detail. That's the opposite if what a good essay should do—analyze!
Who are the protagonist and antagonist of Casablanca/Everybody Comes to Rick's?
Protagonist: Rick
Lt. Strasser & the Nazis; however, in the play, Captain Rinaldo/Renault takes on a larger antagonist role.
What is the term for the location or locations in which a story takes place?
Setting
The design of the film's setting.
In a compare/contrast exam, it's important that your thesis touches on all the elements in the essay question: T / F
True—A compare/contrast thesis necessarily needs to include at least two things (such as a book and movie)
What does it mean to indent paragraphs?
To leave a (roughly) one-inch space at the beginning of each paragraph in an essay
According to "The Minority Report," short story, who created the Pre-crime Unit?
John Anderton
What is the term for the moment of highest tension or conflict in a story?
Climax
What is the term for the look of a movie?
Cinematography
What does an introduction paragraph roadmap refer to?
A brief overview of all main BP topics in the introduction
If you see a specific cinematic or literary term in the essay question—such as cinematography, production design, climax, protagonist/antagonist, etc—should you bring it into your thesis statement?
YES!
At the end of Minority Report (the film) who wants to end Pre-Crime? And who wants to keep the system?
In the film, John wants to destroy Pre-Crime, while Lamar Burgess wants to maintain the system.
In the short story, the situation is the opposite: John wants to maintain Pre-Crime, while Leopold Kaplan (the retired army general who inspired Burgess' character) wants to destroy it—and take the system over for himself.
Point-of-view refers to what?
The perspective or angle of vision in which a story is told—the narrator.
E.g., Frankenstein (the novel) is told in first-person; the wedding day attack scene is shot from the Monster's perspective
What are the two terms for sounds the characters can hear and sounds that only the audience (not the characters) can hear?
Diegetic & Non-diegetic sounds
What are the four elements of quote framing?
Signal phrase1, quotation2, citation3, explanation4.
Ex. Victor Frankenstein is horrified when he sees the creature he created. He instantly reports that1 "breathless horror and disgust filled my heart"2 (Shelley 59)3. This instant display of horror begins to set the stage for one of Frankenstein's primary themes: remorse.4 This is the first of many decisions that Frankenstein will come to regret—and pay for.4
What can you bring into the final exam?
a. A bottle of whiskey and box of cigars to thank the teacher for a nice semester
b. A good attitude, respectful demeanor, and excitement for the Summer break
c. A phone, a ChatGPT pre-made essay, some help from your sister
d. Your copy of the science fiction novella, one page of movie notes (to be handed in along with the exam), writing utensils, and a bottle of water
D!
Where does the climax of "Everybody Comes to Rick's" take place?
Rick's Bar
While the plot details play out similarly, the settings are different: In Casablanca, the climax takes place on an airport runway; in "Everybody Comes to Rick's," it's the bar.