literary terms. external conflict: the protagonist faces an outside force

Literary Terms

External Conflict:

The protagonist faces an outside force

Internal Conflict :

The protagonist faces something within herself

Man v. Man:

The protagonist struggles against another person

Man v. Nature:

The protagonist struggles against forces of nature

Man v. Society:

The protagonist must fight against society’s rules, expectations, etc.

Man v. Himself

Protagonist must fight against something within himself

Protagonist:

The main character, not necessarily the “good guy”

Antagonist:

Character or force in conflict with the main character (protagonist)

Not necessarily “the bad guy”

Personification:

A non-human subject is given human traits

Memoir:

A book that focuses on one part of a person’s life.

NonfictionTold by the person who

experienced the events

Autobiography:

NonfictionA book that covers the majority

of a person’s life Told by the person who lived it

Metaphor:

A comparison of two unalike things

3rd Person Limited:

A voice outside the story narrates

Sees the world through one character’s eyes and reveals only his/her thoughts

Third Person Omniscient

A voice outside the story narrates

Readers know what multiple characters are thinking and feeling

Theme:

The overall message(s) of a work

Flat Character:

Character that represents one characteristic or trait

Refers to complexity

Round/Complex Character:

Character that displays multiple characteristics or traits

Refers to complexity

Static Character:

Character that does not change Refers to development

Dynamic Character:

Character that changes over time, usually because of a conflict

Refers to development

Allusion:

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of art