Narrative Basics
Ordinary written language, not poetry.
Prose
A story about a character growing from youth to maturity.
What is a Bildungsroman?
The sequence of events in a story.
What is Plot?
A comparison using “like” or “as.”
What is a Simile?
What is being compared in a metaphor.
What is Tenor?
A story based on imagined events.
Fiction
The loss of someone important early in a character’s life.
What is Early Loss?
The time and place where a story occurs.
What is Setting?
A direct comparison between two unlike things.
What is a Metaphor?
Substituting a related concept for the thing itself (for example, “the crown” for a monarchy).
What is Metonymy?
A work longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.
Novella
Events that shape a character’s beliefs or identity.
What are Formative Experiences?
The speed at which a story unfolds.
What is Narrative Pace?
Giving human qualities to nonhuman things.
What is Personification?
Two contradictory words placed together (for example, “bittersweet”).
What is Oxymoron?
A category of literature such as mystery or fantasy.
Genre
What is Maturation?
A sudden realization experienced by a character.
What is an Epiphany?
Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis.
What is Hyperbole?
A metaphor that continues over several lines or throughout a text.
What is Extended Metaphor?
The form through which a story is told (text, film, etc.).
Medium
A character who contrasts with another to highlight traits.
What is a Foil?
Spoken conversation between characters.
What is Dialogue?
A statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth.
What is a Paradox?
A brief reference to a well-known person, event, or work.
What is Allusion?