Literary Terms

BASIC PLOT STRUCTURE

:

    

1. EXPOSITION -

2. RISING ACTION -

 3. CLIMAX -

4. FALLING ACTION -

 5. RESOLUTION/DENOUEMENT -

EXPOSITION

PROTAGONIST- the main characterAntagonist- works against the main character

Introduction of characters

EXPOSITION …and setting Time Setting can include

Place

Social conditions

Mood or atmosphere Weather

RISING ACTION

The introduction of confl ict marks the beginning of the rising action

Internal and External Conflict

Man vs. ManMan vs. NatureMan vs. SocietyMan vs. Self

CLIMAX

Highest point of dramatic intensity- it’s considered the most exciting or suspenseful part of the story.

FALLING ACTION

conflict is being resolved

RESOLUTION/DENOUEMENT

conflict is completely over (may not always be good)

DICTIONWord choice (diction can have different levels of sophistication to reveal something about the narrator)

My grandmother had a vinegar tongue.

SYNTAXWord order within a sentence or sentence order within a paragraph.

TONE

speaker’s attitude toward the character or subject

Diction + syntax = tone

MOOD

atmosphere created by author which evokes emotions/feelings in the audience

IMAGERYuse of pictures, descriptions or figures of speech; words that paint a picture in your mind

SENSORY DETAILS- words that appeal to the five senses

IRONYintentional contradiction between what something appears to mean and what it actually means

There is verbal irony- this may take

the form of sarcasm.

There is dramatic irony- the audience

knows something that the characters don’t.

Situational irony- when what happens is the opposite of what is

expected to happen.

PERSONIFICATION

words that give human qualities (attributes) to non-human entities (things)

METAPHOR

a comparison between two unlike things

SIMILE- type of metaphor using “like” or “as” for comparison

ALLITERATION

repetition of initial sounds in successive words

ALLUSIONa reference in art or literature to another body of art or literature "The girl's love of sweets

was her Achilles heel"

SYMBOLsomething that represents something else (objects and actions can be symbolic)

Life is a roller-coaster

THEMErecurring idea; a big question or concept explored in a text

JUXTAPOSITION

two contrasting ideas put against each other to highlight their differences

Ex. the young and the old

SUBTEXTFrom 'War of the Worlds' - Josh Friedman and David Koepp.

A conversation between a father (RAY) and young daughter (RACHEL) :

the emotions or ideas beneath the spoken words; what’s communicated without being said (in dialogue)

RAY: Here we go, some nice peanut butter sandwiches.

Rachel looks at him spreading the sandwiches, obviously masking frustration.

RACHEL: I’m allergic to peanut butter.

Ray, surprised, continues to spread the peanut butter.

RAY: Since when?

Beat.

RACHEL: Birth

Text: Rachel is allergic to peanut butter.

Subtext: ??

TYPES OF NARRATION/ POINT-OF-VIEW:

Reliability- how trustworthy the narrator is in telling the story? Among many things, a character’s age, psychological state, audience and motives can affect reliability or trustworthiness.

1st person point of view

2nd person point of view3rd person point of view

Perspective or point of

view can affect reliability.

A point of view in which an "I" or "we" serves as the narrator. A first-person narrator may be reliable or unreliable.

1st person point of view

a point of view of direct address; the perspective of giving instructions, directions or a recipe, uses or implies the word “you”

2nd person point of view

“You should take a right turn when you see the red house on the corner”

a form of storytelling in which a narrator relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns such as "he" or "she."

3rd person point of view

Third person point of view may be limited or omniscient.

Limited point of view- can see some of the action, but not all of it. How reliable is this???

Omniscient- an all-knowing narrator.

The narrator knows what is going on with all characters and events.