literary terms study

Primary Elements of a Plot:

--Exposition: beginning of the story, where characters and setting are established. The conflict or main problem is introduced as well. --Rising Action: when a series of events build up to the conflict; characters are established and it is during this part of a story that excitement, tension, or crisis is encountered. --Climax: also known as the "turning point of the story"; meant to be the moment of highest interest and emotion, leaving the reader wondering what is going to happen next. --Falling Action: also known as "the winding up of the story"; occurs when events and complications begin to resolve. The results of the actions of the main characters are put forward. --Resolution: is the ending of a story, which may occur with either a happy or tragic ending.

Things to Remember

--Literary characters may embody more than one of these character types at the same time. A dynamic character may also be the antagonist, and a protagonist can also be, say, a flat and stock character. --Here's a very common mistake: while characters are often round and dynamic, that does not mean these two terms mean the same thing. Round refers to a character's complexity, while dynamic refers to a character's development over time. Students make this mistake with flat and static characters.

Antihero

A major character, usually the protagonist, who lacks conventional nobility of mind, and who struggles for values not deemed universally admirable.

Motif

A recurring theme, subject or idea

Plot device

Any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward.

Imagery Con't

Auditory: appeals to the sense of hearing and describes specific sounds that are happening within the story.

Third element of plot

Climax: also known as the "turning point of the story"; meant to be the moment of highest interest and emotion, leaving the reader wondering what is going to happen next.

Conflict

Conflict: involves a struggle between two opposing forces, usually between a protagonist and an antagonist. There are two categories of conflicts that both contain subcategories.

More on metaphors Con't

EX: "My brother is the black sheep of the family." This is a metaphor because he is not a sheep, nor is he black. However, we can use this comparison to describe an association of a black sheep with that person. A black sheep is an unusual animal, which typically stays away from the herd, and the person being described shares similar characteristics.

First Element of plot

Exposition: beginning of the story, where characters and setting are established. The conflict or main problem is introduced as well.

Conflict: External Conflict

External conflict: is marked by a characteristic involvement of an action wherein a character finds himself in a struggle with those outside forces that hampers his/her progress. The most common type of this conflict is when the protagonist fights back against the antagonist's tactics

fourth element of plot

Falling Action: also known as "the winding up of the story"; occurs when events and complications begin to resolve. The results of the actions of the main characters are put forward.

Types of Point of View

First person (pov): is someone telling you his or her story; involves the use of either of the pronouns "I" or "we". "I felt like I was getting drowned with shame and disgrace." Second person (pov): is you being told how you should do something; involves the use of "you", you're", or "your". "Sometimes you cannot clearly discern between anger and frustration."

Imagery Con't

Gustatory: pertains to the sense of taste.

Imagery

Imagery: means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas, in such a way that it appeals to our physical (five) senses.

Conflict: Internal Conflict

Internal conflict: arises as soon as a character experiences two opposite emotions or desires - usually virtue and vice. This disagreement causes the character to suffer mental agony.

Tone con't

Just like with diction, you must use an adjective to describe the tone an author/character uses. Categories of Tone: Objective Subjective Positive Negative Neutral Humorous Ironic Sarcastic

Linear Narrative

Linear narrative: describes a story, action or events in a sequential manner; it starts with the beginning, moves to the middle and terminates at the end.

nonlinear narrative

Nonlinear narrative: describes a story that does not stick to such a structured format; it may start with the middle or end and then describe the entire action as it happened in the past.

Imagery Con't

Olfactory: appeals to the sense of smell and describes a particular scent.

Point of View

Point of View: is the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion of feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. It is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers "hear" and "see" what takes place in a story, poem, or essay.

Fifth element of plot

Resolution: is the ending of a story, which may occur with either a happy or tragic ending.

Second Element of plot

Rising Action: when a series of events build up to the conflict; characters are established and it is during this part of a story that excitement, tension, or crisis is encountered

Setting

Setting: is the time and place in which the story takes place. It could also include social statuses, weather, historical period, and details about immediate surroundings.

Imagery Con't

Tactile: appeals to the sense of touch.

Theme

Theme: a common thread or idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work, usually involving some insight into human existence.

Types of Point of View (Con't)

Third Person Limited (pov): the narrator shows us the thoughts and feelings of one character. Third Person Omniscient (pov): the narrator is all-knowing and shows us the inner world of every character that appears.

Types of Point of View (Con't)

Third person (pov): the narrator tells us about what's happening in the story; involves the use of either of the pronouns "he", "she", "it", "they" or a name.

Imagery Con't

Visual: It appeals to the sense of sight, and plays the largest role in imagery. It describes what a scene or character looks like.

More on Metaphors...

When you portray a person, place, thing or an action as being something else, even though it is not actually that "something else", you are speaking metaphorically!!!

Connotation Con't

Words may have a positive, negative, or a neutral connotations that depends upon social, cultural, and personal experiences of individuals. The words childish, childlike and youthful have the same denotation, but different connotative meanings. Childish and childlike (negative) = immaturity Youthful (positive) = implies a person is lively and energetic

Personification

a figure of speech in which a thing - an idea or an animal - is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings.

Simile

a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. It is accompanied by the words "like" or "as" and therefore, it is a direct comparison.

Foreshadowing

a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story, or a chapter, and helps the reader develop expectations about the coming events in a story. There are various ways to create foreshadowing. --A writer may use the dialogues between characters --An action or event in a story --A title of a work or a chapter title Foreshadowing creates an atmosphere of suspense in a story, so that the readers are interested to know more.

Stock Characters

are those type of characters who have become conventional or stereotypical through repeated use in particular types of stories and are instantly recognizable to readers or audience members.

Diction

can be defined as the style of speaking or writing, determined by the choice of words by a speaker or writer. Diction, or choice of words, often separates good writing from bad writing. It depends on a number of factors

major characters

characters are vital to the development and resolution of the conflict. In other words, the plot and resolution of conflict revolve around these characters.

Mood

evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions. Mood is usually referred to as the atmosphere of a literary piece, as it creates an emotional setting that surrounds the readers. Mood is developed through various methods, including setting, theme, tone, and diction.

In Medias Res

in the middle of things

indirect characterization

involves the writer showing the audience what the personality of the character is. The writer/narrator is implicit in their description of the characters based on the following: Speech, Thoughts, Actions, Appearance, and Reactions from others. We refer to this as the S.T.A.A.R model.

direct characterization

involves the writer telling the audience what the personality of the character is through descriptive adjectives, phrases, or epithets. The writer/narrator is explicit in their description of the characters in their literary work.

foil character

is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character. The objective is to highlight the traits of the other character. The term foil, though generally being applied to a contrasting character, may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things.

Dramatic irony

is a disparity of awareness between actor and observer: when words and actions possess a significance that the listener or audience understands, but the speaker or character does not.

Verbal irony

is a disparity of expression and intention: when a speakers says one thing but means another, or when a literal meaning is contrary to its intended effect.

Situational irony

is a disparity of intention and result: when the result of an action is contrary to the desired or expected effect. Use this formula to help you remember situational irony Expectations - Reality = SI

Metaphor

is a figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated, but which share some common characteristics. It is a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics.

Symbolic Characters

is a major or minor character whose very existence represents some major idea or aspect of society.

Ethos

is a means of convincing an audience of the reliable character or credibility of the speaker/writer, or the credibility of the argument

Dynamic Characters

is a person who changes over time, usually as a result of resolving a central conflict or facing a major crisis. Most dynamic characters tend to be central rather than peripheral characters, because resolving the conflict is the major role of central characters.

character

is a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story. Writers use characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue, moving the story along a plot line.

Logos

is an appeal to logic and reason; it is used to persuade an audience member by logical though, fact and rationality.

Round Characters

is anyone who has a complex personality; he or she is often portrayed as a complex and contradictory person.

rhetorical question

is asked just for effect, or to lay emphasis on some point being discussed, when no real answer is expected; it may have an obvious answer, but the questioner asks it to lay emphasis to the point.

Denotation

is generally defined as the literal or dictionary meaning of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings.

Static Characters

is someone who does not change over time; his or her personality does not transform or evolve.

Protagonist

is the central person in a story, and is often referred to as the story's main character. He or she (or they) is faced with a conflict that must be resolved. The protagonist may not always be admirable; nevertheless s/he must command involvement on the part of the reader, or better yet, empathy.

Antagonist

is the character(s) (or situation) that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend. In other words, the antagonist is an obstacle that the protagonist must overcome.

flat character

is the opposite of a round character. This literary personality is notable for one kind of personality trait or characteristic.

Symbolism

is the use of symbols (physical or abstract) to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. Sometimes, an action, an event, or a word spoken by someone may have a symbolic value.

Pathos

is the way of creating a persuasive argument by evoking an emotional response from your audience/reader.

Kairos

is timelines, appropriateness, decorum, symmetry, balance - awareness of the rhetorical situation; taking advantage of or even creating a perfect moment to deliver a particular message.

Doppelganger

is usually shaped as a twin, shadow, or a mirror-image of a protagonist; it refers to a character who physically resembles the protagonist; in traditional folklore, doppelganger is a malicious and evil character, having no shadow or reflection. It troubles and harms its counterpart by putting bad thoughts in his or her own head.

Connotation

refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings, in addition to their literal meanings or denotations.

Minor Characters

serve to complement the major characters and help move the plot events forward. They are not as important as major characters, but they still play a large part in the story. They may impact the decisions the protagonist or antagonist make, either helping or interfering with the conflict

Tone

the author's attitude toward the topic. Tone is expressed through the words and details (diction) the author selects. To determine the author's tone, you must notice how the words and details are used in writing.

Irony

the use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.

Characterization

used step-by-step in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story. It is in the initial stage in which the writer introduces the character with noticeable emergence. Writers use both direct and indirect characterization to reveal behavioral and the thought-process of their characters.

Plot

used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.