Literary Devices
A reference to something outside the story that brings greater understanding of something that's IN the story.
What is an allusion?
The main character of the story, the person with a problem
What is the protagonist?
A jump to something that took place outside the story in the past.
What is a flashback?
Time, place, and atmosphere
What is setting?
Recording one's thoughts about the story in writing while reading
What is annotation?
A comparison using like or as
What is a simile?
Name two types of conflict.
Man vs. man
Man vs. self
Man vs. society
Man vs. nature
Man vs. fate/deity
"In the middle of things."
What is in medias res?
The moment of truth, the crucial point at which the protagonist must go in one direction or another
What is the climax?
Two reasons for annotating
Records thinking for future reference
Slows the reader down and helps focus thoughts
Helps avoid passive reading
The emotional impact of a word, not just the dictionary definition
What is connotation?
The person working against the protagonist
What is the antagonist?
"god from the machine"
The main idea of the story, the "truth" the author communicates through the story
What is the theme?
The term that describes who is telling the story
What is point of view?
A way of saying something that is less offensive
Eupemhism
A character that is a stereotype (typical doctor, mom, grandma, etc.)
What is a stock character?
A clue of something that is to come
What is foreshadowing?
The wrapping up of the story (after the climax)
What is the denouement?
The point of view in which the person telling the story is outside the story and knows the thoughts and feelings of ONE of the characters in the story
Language that appeals to the five senses - sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch
What is imagery?
A character that is well-developed with strengths, weaknesses, unique personality traits, etc.
What is a round character?
Something in the story that seems totally insignificant but becomes crucial to the plot.
What is Chekov's gun?
The one thing all plots must have
What is conflict?
Ideas passed down from one age to the next, with people from each contributing to the evolution
What is the Great Conversation?