Novel/short Story Terms

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Background information essential to understanding a literary work

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exposition

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A struggle between two opposing forces in a literary work that spurs or motivates the action of a plot (internal, external; person vs. person, self, nature, society)

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conflict

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The series of complications, conflicts or struggles that build a story toward a climax or turning point in the action.

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rising action

Front 4

The point of greatest emotional intensity, interest or suspense in a literary work; the turning point

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climax

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Events after the climax leading to the resolution

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falling action

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The final outcome of the story where the conflict is concluded

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resolution

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The way an author presents a character and reveals character traits - by what a character says - what a character thinks - what a character does - how a character responds to other characters

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characterization

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the writer tells us directly what a character's personality is like

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direct characterization

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the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thought, words, and actions

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indirect characterization

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A character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story's action

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dynamic character

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A character who does not change at all, or who remains almost entirely the same, throughout the course of a play or story

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static character

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A character who has more dimensions to his/her personality; he/she is complex and multi-faceted, like a real person

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round character

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A character who is not well-developed, but rather one-dimensional ; he/she has only one or two personality traits. They are usually "stereotypes" who can be summed up in a few words.

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flat character

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The narrator is one of the characters, and he/she is telling the story. The narrator, "I," can tell reader about his/her thoughts but not the thoughts of other characters

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first person POV

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This point of view talks directly to the reader by using the pronouns you, your, and yours. This point of view creates intimacy, so it can be effective in advertising, instructions, and in persuasive writing.

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second person POV

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The narrator is not a character in the story and is "all knowing" able to reveal the thoughts and feelings of any character and to describe events from the viewpoint of any character.

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third person omniscient POV

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This is a point of view in which the narrator is outside the story and reveals the thoughts of only one character, who is referred to as "he" or "she."

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third person limited POV

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The attitude of the author, stated or implied, toward the audience and characters (e.g., serious or humorous).

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tone

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Interruption in the present action of a plot to show events that happened at an earlier time

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flashback

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The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

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foreshadowing

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In general, a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens

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irony

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A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant; sarcasm

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verbal irony

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An outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected

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situational irony

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This occurs when the audience or reader knows more than the characters know.

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dramatic irony

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The sequence of events in a literary work

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plot

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An object that is used to represent something else (usually a larger, philosophical and more important idea)

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symbol

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The central idea or underlying meaning of a work of literature

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theme

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Uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next in a story

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suspense

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The time and place of a literary work that establish its context.

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setting

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A way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people

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dialect

Front 31

A literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision

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satire

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The main character in a literary work

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protagonist

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The character, force, or collection of forces in fiction or drama that opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story

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antagonist

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A reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing well known from literature, history, religion, pop culture, etc.

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allusion

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A figure of speech that expresses a similarity between two different things (usually formed with 'like' or 'as')

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simile

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A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarity.

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metaphor

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Language that appeals to the senses

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imagery

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A character whose personality and attitude contrast sharply with those of another.

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foil

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the deliberate representation of something as lesser in magnitude than it actually is; a deliberate under-emphasis

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understatement

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an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth

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paradox

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the overall emotion in the reader created by a work of literature

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mood

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extreme exaggeration

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hyperbole

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a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

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personification

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a story in which each aspect of the story has a symbolic meaning outside the tale itself

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allegory