Literary Terms 1
The main idea or message in a work of literature.
What is theme?
The highest point of suspense or turning point in a literary work.
What is the climax?
A series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest, and tension in a narrative.
What is the rising action?
A method of indicating what a character is like by directly stating their personality traits.
What is direct characterization?
A method of indicating what a character is like by revealing their personality through descriptions of their speech, thoughts, emotions, actions, looks, and interactions with other characters.
What is indirect characterization?
A character in a novel, play, or story has a complex personality.
What is a round character?
The author’s word choice; the specific words and phrases they use to create a particular effect, tone, or style.
What is diction?
This narration uses pronouns such as; I, me, and my. The narrator is also a character in the story.
What is first-person point of view?
A problem that occurs within an individual character.
What is internal conflict? Character vs. self
A struggle that occurs between a character or an outside force.
What is external conflict? Character vs. character, character vs. nature, character vs. society, etc.
The central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel, or any other story. Is often the "hero" in the story.
Who is the protagonist?
A one-dimensional character who isn't layered or deep—rather, just has one or two traits that make up their whole personality.
What is a flat character?
The atmosphere or feeling within a work of literature.
What is mood?
A character who says one thing, but their actions do not match what they say. They contradict themselves!
What is an oxymoronic character?
When an event thrusts the main character into the central action of the story.
What is inciting incident?
Visually descriptive or figurative language that sets a scene or tells us more about a character while appealing to our five senses.
What is imagery?
Wraps up the narrative, resolves its loose ends, and leads toward the closure
What is the resolution?
A character who does not change throughout the course of the story.
What is a static character?
A character, or a group of characters, which stands in opposition to the main character.
Who is the antagonist?
An educated guess or conclusion you make based on evidence and reasoning rather than something directly stated.
What is inference?
Giving an inanimate object human-like characteristic traits.
What is personification?
When words express something contrary to truth or someone says the opposite of what they really feel or mean.
What is verbal irony?
A method of storytelling in which the narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of a single character, while other characters are presented only externally.
What is third-person limited point of view?
This literary device can increase interest, help the reader make predictions, and add suspense.
What is foreshadowing?
Introduces characters, setting, and background information.
What is the exposition?
Occurs when actions or events have the opposite result from what is expected or what is intended.
What is situational irony?
A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”
What is a metaphor?
When the audience or the reader knows something important that a character in a play or story does not know.
What is dramatic irony?
A feeling of curiosity, when the reader is waiting to find out what will happen next.
What is suspense?
A character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, to highlight qualities of the other character.
What is a foil character?
The writer or speaker refers either directly or indirectly to a person, event, or thing in history or to a work of art or literature.
What is an allusion?
A character who develops and grows throughout the course of a story.
What is a dynamic character?
Anything that appears on the surface to be one thing yet represents something else and carries a hidden, deeper meaning.
What is symbolism?
The author’s attitude toward the subject, audience, or characters; the feeling or emotion that comes through in the writing.
What is tone?
A story in which characters, settings and actions stand for something beyond themselves.
What is an allegory?