Need to Know Literary Terms Need to Know

Need to Know Literary Terms

Need to Know Literary Terms � Plot � Simply put, plot is what happens in the story. � Some call it the storyline.

Need to Know Literary Terms � Characters are described based upon their personalities, actions, appearance, and thoughts. � Protagonist – main character (not always the good guy) � Antagonist – opposition to the main character (not always bad) � � Setting � The setting of the story is not just the where of the story, but also the when. �A story written about the beaches of Normandy would be very different if the story was set on June 6, 1944 than if set June 6, 1929. � The setting needs to try and make the scene as real as possible. � The better the reader can picture the scene, the better they can see the story.

Need to Know Literary Terms � Conflict �A struggle between opposing forces in a story or play, usually resolved by the end of the work. � The conflict may occur within a character as well as between characters. Character vs. Character Society Nature Self

Need to Know Literary Terms � Point of View � Point � First �A of View is the perspective used to tell a story. Person character is telling the story. � Third Person �A narrator is telling the story. � Omnicient � The storyteller is all-knowing. � Limited � The storyteller knows only the thoughts of one character.

Random Doodle Break – Any Questions?

Need to Know Literary Terms � Theme � The idea of the poem/literary work created from its details of language, character, and action, and cast in the form of a generalization � Mood � The attitude created in the reader by the work � Tone � The implied attitude of a writer toward the subject and characters of a work

Need to Know Literary Terms � Alliteration � The repetition of consonant sounds. Especially at the beginning of words. � Shelley sells seashells by the seashore. � Assonance � The repetition of vowel sounds within a line. � “Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself. "

Need to Know Literary Terms � Diction � The writer’s word choice to convey action, reveal character, imply attitudes, identify themes, and suggest values. � Denotation � The word’s literal/primary meaning. � Connotation � The associations that go beyond a word’s dictionary meaning. � Example: Terminal � Denotation something – of, forming, or situated at the end of

Random Doodle Break – Any Questions?

Need to Know Literary Terms � Metaphor A comparison between essentially unlike things without an explicitly comparative word such as like or as � Examples: � � “My love is a red, red rose” (Robert Burns) � "Life is a journey. Enjoy the Ride. ” (Nissan) � Simile A figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using like, as, or as though � Examples: � � He growled like a bear � Still as a stone � Built like a tank

Need to Know Literary Terms � Symbol/Symbolism � An object or action in a literary work that means more than itself, that stands for something beyond itself. � “Two roads diverge in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both” is a symbol for a life choice/decision (from Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”) � Image/Imagery �A concrete representation of a sense impression, a feeling, or an idea. Imagery refers to the pattern of related details in a work (light vs. dark). � “At noon / turtles / enter / slowly / into / the warm / dark loam” (from N. Scott Momaday’s “New World”) Loam = a fertile soil of clay and sand containing humus

Need to Know Literary Terms � Personification � Attributing human characteristics to something nonhuman. � The camera loves me � The sun greeted me this morning � Onomatopoeia � The use of words to imitate the sounds they describe. � Buzz, pow, pop, zoom, splash, knock, etc. � Hyperbole �A figure of speech involving exaggeration. � We have been taking notes for hours. � My backpack weighs 1, 000 pounds.

Need to Know Literary Terms � Irony �A contrast or discrepancy between what is said and what is meant or between what happens and what is expected to happen in life. � Satire �A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies. � Sarcasm �A cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound. � Parody �A humorous, mocking imitation of a literary work, sometimes sarcastic, but often playful and even respectful in its playful imitation.