Literary Terminology

English 10Mr. LoNigro

Elements of the Story

• Plot – the sequence of events in a literary work– Made up of a series of events that presents the:• Exposition – introduces, setting, character background• Inciting moment – introduces conflict• Rising action – conflict builds• Climax – point of most intensity• Falling action• Resolution – conflict is resolved

Elements of the Story

• Protagonist – the main character (or most important character) in a piece of literature– usually presented as good, respectable, just, or

upright; however, not always this way• Antagonist – the adversary

who opposes the protagonist– Provides the main conflict

for the protagonist– Characters, weather,

societies, fate, etc.

Elements of the Story• Setting – the time a location of a story– Can also include the social conditions present in a story– Purposes:

• to establish time and place• to make certain events seem probable• to reveal character• to create atmosphere• to communicate ideas

• Characterization – the technique a writer uses to create and reveal the personalities of the characters in a work– Used to create realistic, lifelike characters

Elements of the Story

• Direct characterization – the author describes characters with direct statements

• Indirect characterization – character is developed through his or her:– Speech– Thoughts– Effects on other characters– Actions– Looks

Elements of the Story

• Dynamic character – complex character that cannot be summed up by only one or two traits– “Round”– Influenced by events to the extent that the events

cause change in their characters

• Static – recognized by one or two traits– “Flat”– Will not change through the story, even if conflict

intensifies and plot moves forward

Elements of the Story

• Theme – the main idea or underlying meaning in a literary work– Not the topic or subject of a work, but the statement,

interpretation, or opinion related to the topic.– “Lesson learned from the work”

• Stated theme – presented directly in the work• Implied theme – never presented directly, the reader must

ascertain it through careful reading

• Motif – a recurring theme, image, or idea in a story. Motifs serve to reinforce primary themes; they can be obvious or subtle

Elements of the Story• Point of View – the relationship between the

narrator and the story or the perspective in which a story is told– Established through the use of characters, dialogue,

actions, setting, and events– First person

• Narrator is a character• Story is told using the first person “I”

through thoughts and feelings of the narrator

• Reader is only permitted insight into the thoughts and feelings of the narrator

Elements of the Story

• Third Person – there are 3 third person points of view– Third person omniscient

• Narrator knows everything about all characters• Narrator may give reader access into thoughts and feelings of any

character• “Omniscient” = “all-knowing”

– Third person limited• Narrator knows and presents thoughts and feelings of only one character

– Third person objective• Narrator does not enter the mind of any character• Narrator does not reveal thoughts and feelings of any character• Narrator objectively describes events from the outside• Presents only that which can be seen

Literary Devices and Techniques• Symbol – something concrete (person, place, object) that

represents something abstract (idea, quality, condition)– Symbolism – refers to the use of such symbols to suggest a larger

meaning within a particular text• Tone – the writer’s attitude toward his or her audience and

subject– Often, tone can be described as a single adjective (e.g., cheerful, bitter,

neutral, etc.)• Foreshadowing – a hint given to the reader of what is to come

– Helps create suspense and convince the reader of the inevitability of the story’s outcome

– Sets the stage for future events; makes the events seem more reasonable and believable

Literary Devices and Techniques

• Mood – refers to the feeling that a writer creates in a particular story– “Atmosphere”– Developed through setting, imagery, characterization,

details, dialogue, descriptions, and many other literary elements

• Flashback – an interruption of the narrative to show an episode (or series of episodes) that happened before that particular point in a story– Provide background information to help reader understand

characters and events better

Literary Devices and Techniques• Irony – a contradiction between appearance and reality

a. Verbal irony – contrast between what a speaker says and what the speaker actually means (“sarcasm”)

b. Dramatic irony – when the reader knows more about a situation than characters do

– The character is not aware of the “real situation” but the reader is

c. Situational irony – when events turn out contrary to what is expected or what seems appropriate; defies logic and justifiable expectations

d. Socratic irony – when someone feigns ignorance in order to expose a flaw or weakness in another’s position on an issue

– Usually exposes a flaw in the position through a series of “innocent” questions designed to illuminate the illogical or unreasonable elements of the position

Literary Devices and Techniques

• Allusion – a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art used in another work of literature– The bible, or stories derived from it, are referenced in another work

of literature• Allegory – a story which is entirely symbolic

– Has two or more levels of meaning; a literal level and one or more symbolic levels

– The events, setting, and characters in an allegory are symbols for ideas and qualities

• Epiphany – a character’s sudden insight into a conflict situation– A character’s “aha” moment

Elements of the story• Conflict – the struggle between two opposing forces– In literature, conflict is what drives the plot through its

stages.– Internal conflict – a character’s struggle within himself– External conflict – a character’s struggle with an outside

force• There are 4 major types of conflict:

– Person vs. Person (external)– Person vs. Nature (external)– Person vs. Society (external)– Person vs. Self (internal)

Literary Devices and Techniques

• Paradox – a statement that seems contradictory but that actually may express a deeper truth– Because a paradox is surprising (often illogical), it draws the

reader’s attention to a particular idea• “I am a compulsive liar.”• “All men are equal, but some are more equal than others.”

• Dues ex Machina – (“god from the machine”) the use of some unexpected or improbable incident to make things turn out right in the plot of a text– The author solves a complex obstacle in the text by forced

intervention

Elements of the Story• Imagery – the descriptive or figurative language

used in literature to create word pictures for the reader– Author’s use imagery as a tool to create pictures that

will help them form a connection to literature– “Language that appeals to the readers’ senses”

• Sight, sound, taste, smell, movement

Elements of Writing

• Style – an author’s unique way of writing– Made up of diction, tone, characteristic use of figurative

language, dialect, or rhythmic devices, and typical grammatical structure and patterns

• Diction – an author’s choice of words, especially with regard to a range of vocabulary, use of slang, and colloquial language

• Syntax – the particular arrangement of the words in a sentence

• Dialogue – conversation between characters that may reveal their traits and advance the action of a narrative

Elements of Writing

• Denotation and Connotation– Denotation – dictionary meaning independent of

other associations that the word may have– Connotation – the set of ideas associated with it

in addition to its explicit meaning (denotation)

Figurative Language• Simile – compares to unlike things with the use of a comparison word

such as “like” or “as”o Her skin was white as leprosy.

• Metaphor – compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as”o All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.

• Personification – gives human traits to something that is nonhumano Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me.

• Hyperbole – an exaggerated statement for emphasis, often humorouso I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

• Onomatopoeia – words that sound like what they nameo Buzz, snap, crash, murmur

• Oxymoron – combines contradictory termso Jumbo shrimp, White chocolate, Down escalator

Figurative Language

• Alliteration – repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words– Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

• Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds anywhere in words– Hear the swells of the mellow wedding bells.

• Consonance – the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in words– The dove moved above the waves.