Literary Terms S
-
Upload
christine-strayer -
Category
Education
-
view
7.135 -
download
1
Transcript of Literary Terms S
Elements of a Short Story
Terms
Plot
• A series of related events that present and resolve a conflict
Plot Diagram
Conflict
• The Primary struggle between the main character or characters and an adverse character, group or force
• Internal Conflict– A struggle between a
character and him/herself
• External Conflict– A struggle between a
character and an outside force.
• Man vs. Man• Man vs. Nature• Man vs. Supernatural• Man vs. Society
Main characters
• Protagonist– MAIN CHARACTER
of the story
– Often, hero or character the audience is supposed to feel most sympathetic for
• Antagonist– primary adversary of
the protagonist
– Sometimes the villain
Complications
• Small problems in addition to the conflict that add interest to the story
Suspense
• The uncertainty or anxiety that a reader feels about what will happen in a story – Foreshadowing– Dilemma– Mystery– Reversal
Foreshadowing
• Clues (real or false) that hint at a story’s outcome
Dilemma
• A character that we care about is in peril or must choose between two dangerous courses of action
Mystery
• The creation of suspense by withholding information or by presenting unusual circumstances
Reversal
• A sudden change in a character’s situation from good to bad or vice versa
Climax and Resolution
• Climax– The most exciting point
in the story, when the conflict is decided
• Resolution– The conflict is resolved
(positively or negatively) and the story is brought to a close
– Also know as “Denouement”
Characterization• The technique used by a writer
to create and reveal the personalities of the characters in a written work. This may be done by:
• Direct Characterization– The author directly states
aspects of the character’s personality
• Indirect Characterization– describing the character’s
physical appearance and situation,
– revealing a characters thoughts, or
– showing the reaction of other characters.
Types of Characters
• Flat Character– shows only one trait
• Round Character– Shows many different traits, good and bad
• Static Character– character does not change through the course of the
story• Dynamic Character
– character develops and grows during the course of the story
Setting
• The time and place in which the action of a narrative occurs
Theme
• The underlying meaning of a literary work.
• This differs from the subject in that it involves a statement of opinion about that subject.
• The theme may be stated or implied.
• Not every literary work has a theme, and some have more than one
Point of View
• The relationship between the narrator of a story and the characters in it
• Narrator is NOT the same as author
• Types of POV:– First Person
– Third Person, Omniscient
– Third Person, Limited Omniscient
– Third Person, Objective
P.O.V. continued
• First Person– The narrator offers a
personal account of their own experiences or describes what happens to other characters as the narrator sees it
• Third Person– The narrator stands outside
the action (non-participatory) and presents
• Omniscient– (all-knowing) point of
view – Can see the thoughts &
emotions of all (or numerous) characters
• Limited Omniscient– focuses on one character’s
thoughts and viewpoints
• Objective– Describes only what can be
seen– “Reporter style”
Irony
• Irony: differences in appearance and reality, or expectations and results, or meaning and intention– Dramatic Irony:
• a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true
– Situational Irony: • an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of
the characters, readers, or audience– Verbal Irony:
• words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant (i.e. sarcasm, double-entendre, etc.)