Literary Terms

PLOTThe sequence of events in a story.Plot is also a pattern of actions, events and

situationsPlot includes

expositionexciting force/inciting incidentrising actionclimax falling actiondenouement

Think of the Parts of a Story like a Peak…

Exposition

Inciting Incident orExciting Force

Rising Action

Climax

Falling Action

Denouement

DefinitionsExposition: opening portion of a narrative or drama, it

sets the scene, introduces the main characters, and discloses necessary background

Exciting force/inciting incident: sets the action in motion

Rising action: part of the narrative, including the exposition, in which events start moving toward a climax.

Climax: the turning point, moment of greatest intensityFalling action: the events that follow the climax and

bring the story to its conclusionDenouement: resolution or conclusion of narrative

CONFLICT

Conflict is a struggle between opposing forcesConflict can be

Internal– person vs. self External

person vs. person person vs. nature person vs. society man/woman vs. machine man/woman vs.

supernatural

Setting

The four elements of setting are:1) Time (When does it take place? Think era

and time of day/week)2) Place (Where does it take place?)3) Mood (What is the overall feeling of the

story?)4) Circumstance (What is going on around

the characters in the story? Ex: War, depression, technological era, etc.)

Characters1. static (stay the same) vs. dynamic (change)

2. flat (one-sided) vs. round (many-sided)

3. major/minor/functional

Protagonist – main character

Antagonist – in conflict with/opposes protagonist

ThemeA generally recurring subject or idea

conspicuously evident in a literary workLonger works may have multiple themesThe theme is not necessarily a moral or a

lessonThe theme is the center, the moving force,

the unifying vision

Theme is developed through motifs.A motif is an element that recurs significantly

throughout a narrative. It can be a/animageideasituationaction

Example: motifs in the Harry Potter books include loyaltylyingbloodabandonment

CharacterizationThe techniques a writer uses to create,

reveal, or develop the characters in a narrative.Direct: author states directly what a character

is likeIndirect: reader must infer what a character is

like through description, dialogue, action, and how other characters treat him/her

Most often, writers reveal/develop characters through what they say (dialogue) and what they do (action).

Characters are motivated by desires, temperament and moral character.

Point of viewThe perspective from which a story is toldFirst person

The narrator is “I” and he/she is a participant in the action

Third personNarrator is a nonparticipant in the actionOmniscient: narrator can move freely through the

mind of any character, and has complete knowledge of all the events in the story

Limited: the narrator sees into the minds of some, but not all, of the characters; typically, one major or minor character

SymbolAn object, character,

or event that suggests meanings beyond its literal sense

A symbol adds meaning

In fact, a symbol can add multiple meanings

Metaphor? Symbol? So what’s the difference?How does a symbol differ from a metaphor?A metaphor

is a statement that one thing is something else, which, in a literal sense, it is not

creates a close association between the two things, underscoring some important similarity between them

Examples: Richard is a pig. She’s a doll. “I will speak daggers to her, but use none.”

(Hamlet)

How can I recognize a symbol?Symbols are Not abstract terms (love, truth) but

perceptible objects Sometimes people and events are symbolic

Frequently given particular emphasis (repetition)

May supply the titleLead us to the author’s theme

ToneAttitude the author is trying to convey about the subjectTone is the net result of the various elements the author uses to create the workTone plays an important role in establishing the reader’s relationship to the characters and ideas

IronyLiterary device in which the actual meaning

is masked by the surface languageThree main types of irony:

Verbal: say one thing but mean anotherSituational: something happens that is not

what we (or the character) expectsDramatic: the audience knows or understands

something that the characters on stage do not

Other TechniquesSuspense: enjoyable anxiety and/or curiosity

about the outcome of an eventForeshadowing: hints at what may happen in

a storyFlashback: a scene relived in a character’s

memory; gives information about something that happened before the current narrative began