Literary Terms 1
The person or character who actually tells the story.
Narrator
The person or force that works against the hero of the story.
Antagonist
The problem or struggle between two opposing forces in a story.
Conflict
Examples of:
1. Harry Potter v. Voldemort
2. Gene in A Separate Peace
3. Katniss v. The Capitol
4. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Tom Hanks in Castaway
1. Man v Man
2. Man v. Self
3. Man v. Society
4. Man v. Nature
Techniques a writer uses to create and develop a character.
Characterization
The action following the climax that leads into the story's end.
Falling Action
The place and time frame in which a story takes place.
Setting
The planned action or series of events in a story. There are five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Plot Line
Important hints that an author drops to prepare the reader for what is to come, and help the reader anticipate the outcome.
Foreshadowing
The repetition of initial consonant sounds.
Alliteration
One of the people (or animals) in the story.
Character
The part of a story in which the problems are solved and the action comes to a satisfying end.
Resolution
The message about life or human nature that is "the focus" in the story.
Theme
A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art to enrich the reading experience by adding meaning.
Allusion
Comparison of 2 things using "like" or "as".
Simile
The main character in the story, often a good or heroic type.
Protagonist
The part of a story, usually near the beginning, in which the characters are introduced, the background is explained, and the setting is described.
Exposition
The central part of a story during which various problems arise after a conflict is introduced.
Rising Action
The use of words that imitate sounds, i.e. hiss, buzz, etc.
onomatopoeia
Speech that reflects pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar typical of a geographical region.
Dialect
The conversations that characters have with one another.
Dialogue
The action that makes up a story, following a plan called the plot line
Plot
The highest point of tension in the story that leads to the resolution of the conflict, turning point.
Climax
The perspective from which the story is told
point of view
Words or phrases that appeal to a reader's senses
imagery