LITERARY ELEMENTS &

TERMS

Expected to know:

*Genre - a way to categorize literature by types

Books are categorized into four genres:

FICTIONNONFICTIONDRAMA POETRY

FICTION- a story created in the author’s mind. Its purpose it to entertain.

Realistic fiction - based on real-life, everyday situations. (The Outsiders, The Man Who Loved Clowns)

Historical fiction - based in a specific time period or on a particular event in history. (Gone With the Wind, The River Between Us)

Science fiction - based on scientific events that have not taken place yet; often involves space travels, aliens, futuristic societies, technology. (Star Wars, The Awakening)

Mystery - a literary work that involves a plot in which characters attempt to solve an unexplained event, phenomena,etc. The event is often a crime and the characters try and solve the case by finding clues. (The Nancy Drew Series, The Hardy Boys Series)

Adventure - a literary work in which characters have extraordinary experiences, which often involve danger, suspense, travel, etc. (Hatchet, The Call of the Wild)

Fantasy - based on imaginary worlds and uses magical powers and creatures such as dragons, fairies, trolls, etc. (The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Ring)

Mythology - stories that explain the actions of gods or heroes or the origin of elements of nature. Every ancient culture has its own mythology. (Zeus and Hera, The Origins of Fire)

Fables - a story, usually with animal characters, that teach a lesson or moral. The moral is usually stated at the end of the fable. (The Tortoise and the Hare, The Ant and the Grasshopper)

Tall tales - stories that exaggerate beyond belief. (Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan

Legends - a story told from the past that is based on some truth. (King Arthur and the Knight of the Round Table, The Legend of Big Foot)

NONFICTION - writing that is based on truth. Its purpose is to inform, explain, persuade, or entertain.

Informational text is organized by topic and supporting details. Its purpose is to inform.

Examples include nonfiction, newspapers,

textbook, advertisements, instruction manuals,

recipes

DRAMA - a story with dialogue and parts, written to be performed by actors in front of an audience. The written version is called a script. Example:

The Diary of Anne Frank

POETRY - writing that conveys an idea or a feeling through carefully selected words. Example:

The Road Less Traveled by Robert Frost

Devices used in poetry

Sound - helps create meaning or feeling in poetry

Figurative Language - words not meant to be taken literally

SOUNDAlliteration - repetition of

consonant sounds (The sun was shining on the sea)

Onomatopoeia - the use of words whose sounds imitate or suggest their meaning (buzz, ring, honk, bang)

Rhyme - words that have the same ending sound (I enjoyed the shade in the glade)

Rhyme scheme - the arrangement of rhymes in a poem or stanza

Meter - the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Metaphor - a comparison of unlike things in which one thing becomes another (He has a heart of stone)

Simile - a comparison of unlike things using the word like or as (I wandered lonely as a cloud)

Hyperbole - an extreme exaggeration (My parents are going to kill me)

Personification - giving human characteristics to objects or animals (The wind shook the windows as if it was trying to get in)

Symbolism - occurs when an object represents more than itself (cross = Christianity, heart = love)

Tone - the author’s attitude toward a subject

Mood - emotional feeling created in a story

Character - person, animal, or other being

involved in a storyRound

character - character who changes in attitudes of beliefs

Flat character - character who does not change

Cont. CharacterProtagonist - the

character you hope overcomes his/her

challengesAntagonist - the

character who presents an obstacle to the

protagonist

PLOT - sequence of events

Exposition - what is occurring at the opening of the story

Rising Action - plot events that lead to the climax

Climax - “high point” or “turning point” of the story. When you know the end is near and you know how the story will turn out

Falling Action - plot events after the climax

Resolution - the end of the story

Cont. Plot

Subplot - a plot within a plot. It is not considered as important and the main plot.

Parallel Episodes - different scenes that happen at the same time.

More ELEMENTS

Foreshadowing - the author’s hints about what might happen later in the story.

Flashback - the author retelling events which happened in a previous time

Theme - lesson, moral, or main point the author teaches the reader

Inference - process of drawing a conclusions and making predictions

Irony - a contrast between expectation and

realityVerbal - what is said is not what is

meant (sarcasm)Situational - something happens

that is the opposite of what expectedDramatic - the reader knows

something before the character