Literary Terms We will be using these literary
Literary Terms We will be using these literary terms throughout the school year. You need to keep up with your notes. Don’t lose your terms! You might be able to use them on a test– be RESPONSIBLE!!!
We will use the following terms: Character Diction Imagery Exposition Falling Action Flashback Point of View Theme Metaphor Personification Antagonist Denotation Mood Rising Action Resolution Foreshadowing Setting Tone Simile Alliteration Protagonist Connotation Plot Climax Conflict Suspense Style Figures of Speech Oxymoron
Plot is the sequence of events. The first event causes the second, the second causes the third, and so forth. In most novels, dramas, short stories, and narrative poems, the plot involves both characters and a central conflict.
PLOTLINE ctio g. A Risi n Exposition Conflict Introduced on cti g. A llin Fa n Climax Resolution
Exposition The Exposition is the introduction. It is the part of the work that introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation.
Rising Action is the part of the plot that begins to occur as soon as the conflict is introduced. The rising action adds complications to the conflict and increases reader interest.
Climax The Climax is the point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or suspense in the plot of a narrative. The climax typically comes at the turning point in a story or drama.
Falling Action is the action that typically follows the climax and reveals its results.
Resolution The Resolution is the part of the plot that concludes the falling action by revealing or suggesting the outcome of the conflict.
Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces in a story or play. There are two types of conflict that exist in literature.
External Conflict External conflict exists when a character struggles against some outside force, such as another character, nature, society, or fate. Character vs. Nature Character vs. Society
Internal Conflict Internal conflict exists within the mind of a character who is torn between different courses of action. Character vs. Him- or herself
Plot: Character vs. Character Conflict This type of conflict finds the main character in conflict with another character, human or not human. “The new one is the most beautiful of all; he is so young and pretty. ” And the old swans bowed their heads before him. Then he felt quite ashamed, and his head under his wing; for he did not know what to do, he was so happy, and yet not at all proud. He had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness, and now he heard them say he was the most beautiful of all the birds. The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson
Plot: Character vs. Nature Conflict This type of conflict finds the main character in conflict with the forces of nature, which serve as the antagonist. It´s a Truffula Seed. It´s the last one of all! You´re in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds. And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs. Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Plot: Character vs. Society Conflict This type of conflict has the main character in conflict with a larger group: a community, society, culture, etc. “I’m tired of living in a hole, ” said Jenny. “Let’s fight for freedom!” cried Bouncer. “We’ll be soldiers! Rough-riding Rowdies! I’ll be the general and commander-in-chief!” The Island of the Skog by Steven Kellogg
Plot: Character vs. Self Conflict In this type of conflict, the main character experiences some kind of inner conflict. Finally, Sam’s father said, “Go to bed now. But before you go to sleep, Sam, tell yourself the difference between REAL and MOONSHINE. ” Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness
Character A character is a person or an animal that takes part in the action of a literary work.
Antagonist The Antagonist is a character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist.
Do you know your Antagonists? ? ? On your paper take a few minutes to write down some Antagonists that you can recall from movies, television shows, and video games Remember the Antagonist is in conflict with the Protagonist or, main character! Helpful hint – you should now know why people use the saying “Don’t antagonize me!”
Protagonist The Protagonist is the main character in a literary work Can you name some famous Protagonists that are found in literature?
Diction is the manner in which we express words; the wording used. Diction = enunciation Some easy examples are: Don’t say ‘goin’ – say ‘going’, Don’t say ‘wanna’ – say ‘want to’
Denotation The denotation of a word is its dictionary meaning, independent of other associations that the word may have or “feeling”
Connotation The connotation of a word is the set of ideas associated with it in addition to its explicit meaning. Some examples – Cheap is “low in cost” (denotation) but “stingy” or “poorly made” are the connotations of cheap
Imagery is words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses. Writers use imagery to describe how their subjects look, sound, feel, taste, and smell.
MOOD Mood, or atmosphere, is the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. Writer’s use many devices to create mood, including images, dialogue, setting, and plot. Often, a writer creates a mood at the beginning of a work and keeps it the same throughout. Sometimes, however, the mood of the work changes.
Flashback A flashback is a literary device in which an earlier episode, conversation, or event is inserted into the sequence of events. Often flashbacks are presented as a memory of the narrator or of another character.
Flashback continued… The movie Titanic is told almost entirely in a flashback. What are some other films that contain flashback to help tell stories? Holes Willy Wonka Think of some more…
Foreshadowing is the author’s use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story. Writers use foreshadowing to build their readers’ expectations and to create suspense. This is used to help readers prepare for what is to come.
Can you think of an element of foreshadowing?
Suspense is the growing interest and excitement readers experience while awaiting a climax or resolution in a work of literature. It is a feeling of anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events. Writers create suspense by raising questions in the minds of their readers.
Point of View is the perspective, or vantage point, from which a story is told. It is the relationship of the narrator to the story. First-person is told by a character who uses the first-person pronoun “I”. Third-person limited point of view is the point of view where the narrator uses third-person pronouns such as “he” and “she” to refer to the characters.
Setting The setting of a literary work is the time and place of the action. The setting includes all the details of a place and time – the year, the time of day, even the weather. The place may be a specific country, state, region, community, neighborhood, building, institution, or home. Details such as dialect, clothing, customs, and modes of transportation are often used to establish setting. The setting of a story often helps to create a particular mood, or feeling.
Theme The theme of a literary work is its central message, concern, or purpose. A theme can usually be expressed as a generalization, or general statement, about people or life. The theme may be stated directly by the writer although it is more often presented indirectly. When theme is stated indirectly, the reader must figure out theme by looking carefully at what the work reveals about the people or about life.
Figures of Speech A figure of speech is a specific device or kind of figurative language, such as hyperbole, metaphor, personification, simile, or understatement. Figurative language is used for descriptive effect, often to imply ideas indirectly. It is not meant to be taken literally. Figurative language is used to state ideas in vivid and imaginative ways.
Oxymoron An Oxymoron is a figure of speech that is a combination of seemingly contradictory words. Examples: Same difference Pretty ugly Roaring silence
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