Terms 1-5
The time and place of the action
Setting
People taking part in a literary work.
Characters
The struggle between opposing forces.
Conflict
Dramatist's instructions describing how the work is to be performed or staged.
Stage Directions
Curley was described as a jealous man who remained that way throughout Of Mice and Men.
Static character
The sequence of events in a literary work
Plot
Are one-dimensional and reveal one one or two personality traits, which do not change.
Flat character
Conversations between characters
Dialogue
The message(s) about the nature of people or about life. The underlying message or point the author is making.
Theme
Gene and Finny were best friends.
Gene was jealous of Finny.
Gene shook Finny out of a tree.
Finny's life was ruined.
Gene denied his involvement in the accident.
Plot
Develop and grow during the course of a story
Dynamic characters
Never change and remain primarily the same throughout a story.
Static character
The opening of a story, introduces characters, setting, conflict, and basic situation
Exposition
Something that stands for or represents something greater than itself.
Symbol
"I am a red balloon, a red balloon tied to an anchor."
Figurative Language
Are contrasted with another character to highlight characteristics of the first character
Foil
Have many traits, faults as well as virtues
Round characters
Language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation.
Figurative Language
Way in which the conflict works itself out.
Resolution
WALTER: You wouldn’t understand yet, son, but your daddy’s gonna make a transaction … a business transaction that’s going to change our lives. … That’s how come one day when you ’bout seventeen years old I’ll come home and I’ll be pretty tired, you know what I mean, after a day of conferences and secretaries getting things wrong the way they do … ’cause an executive’s life is hell, man— (The more he talks the farther away he gets) And I’ll pull the car up on the driveway … just a plain black Chrysler, I think, with white walls—no—black tires. More elegant. Rich people don’t have to be flashy … though I’ll have to get something a little sportier for Ruth—maybe a Cadillac convertible to do her shopping in. … And I’ll come up the steps to the house and the gardener will be clipping away at the hedges and he’ll say, “Good evening, Mr. Younger.” And I’ll say, “Hello, Jefferson, how are you this evening?” And I’ll go inside and Ruth will come downstairs and meet me at the door and we’ll kiss each other and she’ll take my arm and we’ll go up to your room to see you sitting on the floor with the catalogues of all the great schools in America around you. … All the great schools in the world! And—and I’ll say, all right son —it’s your seventeenth birthday, what is it you’ve decided? … Just tell me where you want to go to schooland you’ll go. Just tell me, what it is you want to be—and you’ll be it. … Whatever you want to be—Yessir! (He holds his arms open for TRAVIS) YOU just name it, son … (TRAVIS leaps into them) and I hand you the world!
Monologue
A long speech expressing the inner thoughts of a character ALONE on stage talking to him or herself.
Soliloquy
Speech given by one character heard by other characters.
Monologue
Clues which lead to certain conclusions
Foreshadowing
Turning point in a literary work
Climax
(The FATHER has come from behind the couch and leans over, embracing his son)
Stage Directions