Literary Terms

September 6, 2013

Climax (turning point)

• the moment of maximum interest; where the rising action meets the falling action

Conflict (Problem)• a struggle between opposing

forces: (4 kinds)

1.) Person against person (external)

2.) Person against nature (external)

3.) Person against society (external)

4.) Person against self (internal)

Dynamic character

• a character that changes as a result of events in the story

Flashback

• an interruption of the action to present events that took place at an earlier time.

Foreshadowing

• when a writer provides hints that suggest future events in a story.

Genre

• a type or category of literature. There are 4 main genres:

1.)Fiction (fake) 2.) non-fiction

3.) Poetry (imagery) 4.) drama (plays)

Inference

• a logical guess based on evidence

• Readers, by combining the information a writer provides with what they know from their own experience, can figure out more than the words say.

• To infer = to read between the lines

Irony

• a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens.

Mood

• the overall feeling that the work conveys

• Optimistic

• Pessimistic

Point of View

• The position, or viewpoint, from which the events of the story are seen and told (2 main types):

1.) First-person – (“I”) - the story is told through a character who is taking part in the story

2.) Third-Person Omniscient (“he”) – the story is told through the eyes of an “all-knowing” narrator

Setting

• where and when a story takes place

Static character

• a character that stays the same throughout the story

Theme

• the life lesson learned by the main character

Tone

• the attitude a writer conveys in their writing

• Frustrated

• Hopeful