Literary Terms 1
A distinctive category of literature.
What is genre?
Accidental or intentional intellectual theft in which a writer, poet, artist, scholar, or student steals an original idea, phrase, or section of writing from someone else.
What is plagiarism?
The ordinary use of language used in writing and speaking.
What is prose?
The events in the story that show the increased tension as the conflict arises.
What is rising action?
This is the highest point of action and the turning point in the plot.
The beginning of the story where the author establishes the setting and the characters and introduces information essential to the understanding of the story.
What is exposition?
This begins with the consequences from the climax and moves towards the conclusion on the story.
What is falling action?
The end of the story.
What is resolution?
An author’s unique way of constructing their sentences. This may include long, wordy sentences; very short sentences; parallel structure; or repetitive words, phrases, or sentences.
What is syntax?
A person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story. They are used to perform actions, speak dialogue, and move the story along a plot line.
What is character?
The other characters in the story. They are not as important as the major character, but they still play an important role in driving the story forward.
What is a minor character?
A writer’s choice of words, particularly for clarity, effectiveness, and precision.
What is diction?
A central character or leading figure. He/she is often a “hero” to the readers.
What is the protagonist?
An important figure at the center of the story’s action or theme.
What is a major character?
This refers to the unique style, personality, or perspective of a piece of writing. It is created through their diction, syntax, punctuation, characterization, and dialogue.
What is voice?
A character or group of characters who stand in opposition to the protagonist. It comes from the Greek word meaning “opponent,” “competitor,” or “rival.”
What is the antagonist?
Simply the bare events in a story. This is different from the plot in that the plot includes the meaning and purpose behind the events.
What is action?
An event in the story that sets the main character or characters on their journey through the plot diagram. It sets the story in motion.
What is inciting incident?
A character who goes through significant internal changes. This character learns a lesson or changes as a person (for better or worse).
What is a dynamic character?
A character who stays mostly the same throughout the story.
What is a static character?
A deep and layered character in a story. They are interesting because they feel like real people.
What is a round character?
The author clearly states the character’s traits and qualities.
What is direct characterization?
A character that lacks depth or real personality.
What is a flat character?
The character traits and qualities are not clearly stated. The readers must draw conclusions based on the character’s behavior, speech, appearance, and the opinion of other characters.
What is indirect characterization?
A stylistic “interruption” where the author temporarily departs from the story to provide background information or focus on a seemingly unrelated topic. The author then returns to the narrative.
What is a digression?