2009/2010

Literary Terms in Progress

Keep these notes with you so that when we need to add to

the list, you will have it. You are responsible for the terms once

they have been provided.

PlotThe events in a story.

The elements are...

Plot Point I. ExpositionBackground on story

and characters.Example:

“Once upon a time, in a forest far, far away,

there lived an evil queen and her lovely

granddaughter.”

Plot Point II. Conflict

Issue/problem that results from the struggle between

two opposing forces

There are two main categories of conflict...

Plot Point II. A. Internal Conflict

occurs within a character. Character v. him/herself

Plot Point II. B. External Conflict

occurs outside of a character. character v.

society, world, nature, or another

character.

Plot Point III. Rising Action

Events stemming

from conflict.

Plot Point IV. Climax

Highest point of action in a story.

Plot Point V. Falling Action

Events leading to the conclusion.

Plot Point VI: Resolution

The resolution of the original conflict. Also

called the Dénoument and includes any action after

the resolution.

Characterization

Is process of informing an audience about a character. There are two

methods authors employ:

Direct characterization—the speaker tells us directly about a character and what to think about him/her.

Example: “Ms. Labor was the meanest teacher at Sumner High.”

Characterization, cont.

Indirect characterization—the speaker reveals a character

through his/her words and actions and the audience draws

conclusions. Example: “When we walked into

18A, Ms. Labor was kicking a puppy and throwing student’s

folders around the room.”

Protagonist

Main character of a story, sometimes

referred to as a hero.

AntagonistCharacter that is in

conflict with the protagonist.

Sometimes called the “bad guy,” and

often shown in dark clothing in

films.

Point of View

is the vantage point from which a story is told. For

the purpose of discussing literature we

usually focus on the following four types:

First Person Point of View

The narrator (story teller) is involved in the story and uses

“I” to unfold the plot.

Second Person Point of View

The narrator tell the story using the

pronoun “you” as the driver of the plot. Most rarely used narrative point of

view.

Third Person Limited Point of View

The narrator is not involved in the story and reveals the thoughts and

feelings of only ONE character.

Third Person Omniscient Point of View

The narrator is not involved in the story, and can see into the minds (thoughts and feelings) of all the

characters.

Setting

Is the TIME and PLACE of the events of the story. This doesn’t just mean

which town or country the story is set in, it can refer to the culture, the

region, the room, the weather, etc. Or, the setting may include place, but

leave the time period ambiguous because the story’s plot and circumstances are timeless.

Tone and MoodTone is the narrator or author’s attitude

about the subject of the piece of literature. Some sample tone

adjectives are: angry, romantic, frightened, cheerful, condescending,

thoughtful, etc.

Mood is the effect of the images, word choice, conflict, tone, etc. on the

audience.

Suspense and Foreshadowing

Suspense is the quality of a work that makes us continue to read to see

what will happen next. Writers create suspense with details that arouse curiosity by foreshadowing, or

hinting at what is to come. Ex. A thunderstorm on the morning of

an outdoor wedding might foreshadow a bad marriage.

Diction

Diction is word choice. Each time a writer

chooses one word over another it effects the readers’ experience.

Three Types of Diction1. High/Formal Diction: Many Polysyllabic

words, formal sounding, sometimes considered “pedantic”

This is the language you would hear in a college-level discussion.

2. Neutral Diction: This is deliberately clear language. Not overly formal. It is the language we should be using with

each other in the classroom.3. Low Diction: This is language that is full

of slang, dialect, and informality. This is the language of the high school hallway.

Explication

Line-by-line or stanza-by-stanza explanation of

poetry.

Rhetorical Questioning

Questioning that you don’t expect anyone to answer. Its purpose is to make people think, and sometimes

work out internal conflict in literature and in life.

Types of Irony

Situational: when what happens is ABSOLUTELY not what could have

been predicted. Example: My neighbor kept talking

about his cat, Lucky, and when I saw him he only had three legs

and one eye!

Types of IronyVerbal: when what is said what is not

what is meant. Example: When my brother dropped my super expensive sculpture and it

broke into one thousand pieces, I said, “You are BRILLIANT!”

Types of Irony Dramatic: when the audience

knows things that the character’s don’t know.

Example: When the husband has purchased an anniversary

gift for a wife, and the audience saw him do it, but

the wife didn’t, every time she gives him a hint or nags him about it, the audience gets a

laugh.

Theme

Theme is the most important concept to understand for the purpose of encountering art of any kind. Everyone who writes, sings, draws, sculpts, acts, directs, designs, etc. has a vision

or an opinion about some aspect of life that he/she wishes to share with his/her audience.

This vision or opinion is called the theme! We should phrase our theme statements

universally, U.M.