Literary Terms
Jan 03, 2016
Literary Terms
What is Genre?
Genre is a type of form of literature. For instance, someone might say, “What genre of literature do you like to read.
Challenge: Come up with at least five genres.
ProtagonistMain character of the story who changes
– the most important character– makes a realization about self or the world
around him/her
Challenge: Provide the name of a protagonist and the book, movie, play… he or she is in.
Antagonist
• A major character who opposes the protagonist– the antagonist does not change
• Types of antagonists:– people– nature– Society
Challenge: Provide name of an antagonist and where he/she appears.
Character• Character – a person in a story, poem or play
• Types of Characters– Round – fully developed, has many different
character traits – Flat- stereotyped, one-dimensional, few traits
– Static – does not change – Dynamic – changes as a result of the story's
events, or plot
Challenge: ID your protagonist and antagonist.
Characterization
How the author develops the characters, especially the main character
Characterization
• Direct characterization– The author directly states what the character’s
personality is like. – Example: “He is a cruel person.”
• Indirect characterization– A character’s personality is shown through
his/her actions, thoughts, feelings, words, appearance or other character’s observations or reactions. (We, as readers, make inferences.)
What is the Plot?Plot: Series of events that make up a story – in
other words, plot = story
Climax – most exciting part
Falling Action(excitement falls)
Resolution
Rising Action – (excitement is rising)
Exposition – think “expose”
Exposition
• Part of the story that introduces characters, setting, and conflicts
Challenge: Think of a book, movie…. and list three details you learned in the exposition.
Setting
• The time and place of the story’s action
• Setting is part of the Exposition
Challenge: Describe the setting of a book, movie… - be specific and descriptive.
Rising Action
• Consists of a series of complications.
• These occur when the main characters take action to resolve their problems and are met with further problems:– Fear– Hostility– Threatening situation
Challenge : Describe one scene in a book… that is part of the rising action.
Climax
The turning point in the story: the high point of interest and suspense
Challenge: Describe the climax in a book….
Rising Action or Complications Falling Action
Climax
Falling Action
All events following the climax or turning point in the story. These events are a result of the action taken at the climax.
Challenge : Describe the falling action in a book…
Resolution
• (Dénouement) – the ultra fancy word for this
• The end of the central conflict: it shows how the situation turns out and ties up loose ends
Challenge: Describe the resolution in a book…
Flashback
The present scene in the story is interrupted to flash backward and tell what happened in an earlier time
Challenge: Provide an example
from a book, movie…
Foreshadowing
Clues the writer puts in the story to give the reader a hint of what is to come
Challenge: Provide an example of foreshadowing.
Irony
A contrast between expectation and reality
Examples:
The high school student with the highest grades drops out of school.
The traffic officer is arrested because
of a backlog of unpaid parking tickets.
Challenge: Provide an example from a book,
movie, …. Or create one of your own.
Types of Irony• Verbal – saying one thing but meaning something
completely different.Example: Calling a clumsy basketball player “Lebron James”
• Situational – A contradiction between what is expected and what really does happen Example: The Titanic sinking.
• Dramatic – occurs when the reader knows something important that the characters in the story do not know. Example: We know who the murderer is, but the character does not creates suspense
Challenge : Think of an example of at least one type. Extra challenge: Go for the big three.
Point of View
Perspective from which writer tells the story– 1st person- One of the characters is actually
telling the story using the pronoun “I”– 3rd person limited- Centers on one character’s
thoughts and actions.– Omniscient- All-knowing narrator. May center
on the thoughts and actions of any and all characters.
Challenge: Why do you think authors use 1st POV?
Symbol
An object, person, or event that functions as itself, but also stands for something more than itself.Example: Scales function is to weigh things,
but they are also a symbol
of our justice system.
Challenge: Provide examples of
three symbols and their meaning.
Theme
• The central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work.
• The “main idea” of the story
• What the author wants us to take away from the story.
Challenge: What is a theme from
your favorite book, movie…?
Conflict
• A struggle between two opposing forces• Types
– Internal – takes place in a character’s own mind (i.e., decision or choice)
• Man vs. Self
– External – a character struggles against an outside force
• Man vs. Man• Man vs. Nature• Man vs. Society
Challenge: Think of an example of each type of conflict (4).
Suspense
Uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next in a story
Tone
• The speaker’s or narrator’s attitude towards the subject
• Authors create tone through word choice and imagery.
• May be formal, informal, somber, playful, etc.
Mood
The general feeling a piece of writing creates within the reader
Example: You may feel saddened by what you read, or you may be roaring with laughter.
Challenge: List five different kinds of “mood”
Figurative Language
Involves some imaginative comparison between two unlike things– Simile – compares two unlike things using like
or asExample: “I wandered lonely as a cloud”
– Metaphor – compares two unlike things (not using like or as)
Example: Life is a roller coaster; it has lots of ups and downs.
Figurative Language
Personification – Gives human qualities to non-human things– “The wind screamed.”– “The fog crept in quietly.”
Figurative Language
Allusion: Reference to a statement, person, a place, or events from:
– Literature– History– Religion– Mythology– Politics– Sports
Example: “I am surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio’s.”
Imagery
Language that appeals to the senses.– Touch– Taste– Sight– Sound– Smell
Challenge: Write a sentence with all 5 senses included
Creating a picture in the reader’s mind through
description
Example: A seven-foot giant with rat-like teeth, greasy hair, hands like mitts, and musty, loose clothing