The Basics
This term refers to the sequence of events that occur through a work to produce a coherent narrative.
What is plot?
This character is the primary figure in a text, often opposed by an antagonist.
What is the protagonist?
This part of a narrative introduces characters, setting, and background information.
What is exposition?
If a novel repeatedly uses an object, like a green light, to represent an abstract idea, that object functions as this literary element.
What is a symbol?
This describes the perspective a text takes when presenting its narrative, such as first, second, or third person.
What is point of view?
This term refers to a protagonist who lacks traditional heroic qualities and whose flaws humanize them.
What is an anti-hero?
This is the height of conflict in a narrative, when outcomes are most uncertain.
What is the climax?
If a narrator says, “I’ve been waiting here forever,” but clearly has not, this is an example of exaggerated language used for emphasis.
What is hyperbole?
This term refers to spoken exchanges between characters in a literary or dramatic work.
What is dialogue?
This term refers to a character who opposes the protagonist and creates conflict.
What is the antagonist?
This term refers to the falling action where conflicts are resolved after the climax.
What is denouement?
If a character refers to the government as “the crown,” substituting an associated object for the whole institution, this figure of speech is being used.
What is metonymy?
This concept describes an author’s diction, syntax, tone, and narrative techniques.
What is style?
This describes a mythic or stock character type that appears across cultures and time periods.
What is an archetype?
This term describes a story that begins in the middle of action.
What is in media res?
If a story opens with a battle scene and only later explains how the characters arrived there, the author is using this plot technique.
What is in media res?
This term refers to an abstract idea that emerges from a literary work’s treatment of its subject matter.
What is theme?
This term refers to writing that mocks or ridicules people or beliefs to challenge them, often using irony or exaggeration.
What is satire?
This narrative device involves a story within a story that provides context for the main narrative.
What is a frame narrative?
If a novel turns abstract ideas like morality or temptation into characters who act them out within the story, the text is functioning as this mode of writing.
What is allegory?