1
the main character or the character that the
reader follows throughout the story or novel.
protagonist
the time and place of a novel or story
setting
a struggle, argument or problem within a story.
conflict
the person, thing or object that causes all the problems and struggles for the protagonist.
antagonist
when the main character or the character who
is telling the story.
1st Person Point of View
when a character’s struggle is internal. This character
must overcome a choice, a decision, or an emotion.
man vs. self conflict
the perspective in which a story is told.
point of view
the message, moral or lesson in a story or novel.
theme
when the author tells the reader something about a character directly in the text.
direct characterization
the act of creating and describing a character.
characterization
when one object represents or stands for something else.
symbolism
to present a “good” character and a “bad” character.
The good character's traits emphasize the bad character's traits, and vice versa.
Foil
when one character has a conflict with
another character.
man vs. man conflict
the series of events that take place in a story.
plot
the highest point of action in a story.
climax
when a character is struggling with a particular group;
they are the minority and are fighting the majority.
man vs. society conflict
when the author does not directly state a quality about a character, and the reader has to infer or draw aconclusion about him/her.
indirect characterization
when something happens in a piece of literature that may predict what is to come.
foreshadow
when a character is dealing with a form of nature,
whether it is a storm, an animal, or force of nature.
man vs. nature conflict
signals the appearance of things and the direct reality.
Also when the reader is expecting one thing to happen, yet theopposite of their thinking takes place.
irony
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to
reveal a hidden meaning, typically amoral or political one.
allegory
when a story or
novel is told from a narrator’s perspective, and the narrator only knows the feelings and thoughts of ONE character. This is told from the “s/he” perspective.
3rd Person Omniscient
a literary device that involves intentionally using a word or phrase for effect, two or more times in a speech or written work.
repitition
when the narrator is aware of all the information about the story’s events, characters, and setting.
3rd Person Omniscient
where the background information, like setting,
characters, and the initial plot, are introduced.
exposition