Literary Elements Part 1

1. Literary ElementsPart 1

2. The problem or struggle in a story that triggers the action. There are 2 main types of conflict Conflict

3. Types of Conflict

4. Any struggle or problem that is going on within the character. Man v. Self Internal Conflict

5. Any struggle or problem that involves the character and any other person, thing or unknown force. Man v. Man Man v. Nature Man v. Society Man v. God (Fate) External Conflict

6. The action or sequence of events in a story. It is usually a series of related events that build up on one another as the story develops. Plot

7. Climax (Crisis, turning point, point of no return) Rising Action (complication) Falling Action Exposition Resolution Plot Diagram

8. Exposition – The background or situation surrounding the story. Rising action - the series of struggles that builds a story toward a climax. Climax – the most intense point in a story. Falling action – part of the story that works out decisions reached during the climax. Resolution – is part of the story in which the problem is solved.

9. Protagonist - Main character Antagonist - The person or thing working against the protagonist. This could be a person or a force; even society’s expectations of the protagonist could be a force against him/her. Antagonist and Protagonist

10. Literary DevicesPart 2

11. The statement about life the author is trying to get across in a story. In most cases, the theme will be implied rather than directly told. Theme

12. Foreshadowing • The use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that will happen later in a story. • For example, in the children’s book Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte, the spider, tells Wilbur, the pig, that all living things must die. This foreshadows Charlotte’s death. She dies saving his life.

13. Imagery • The words used to appeal to the five senses. It creates word pictures in our minds while we read. “The east wind came whipping across the fields from higher ground. In the distance he could see the clay hills, white and clean, against the heavy pallor of the sky” (du Maurier 63). We can feel / hear the wind and see the hill s and sky in our minds!

14. Setting • The time, place and background of the story. • --The setting of Batman is Gotham City in the future. • --The setting can change throughout the story.

15. Something that means the exact opposite of its literal/normal meaning. There are three kinds of irony: Irony

16. Dramatic irony, in which there is a contradiction in what a character thinks and what the reader/audience knows is true. Verbal irony, in which the writer says one thing and means another. Situational irony, in when an event occurs that contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience.

17. Diction The author’s word choice, including the vocabulary used, the appropriateness of the words, and the vividness of the language. Pay attention to the author’s words because they choose them carefully!!

18. The uncertainty or anxiety we feel about what is going to happen next in a story. Suspense

19. When we feel suspense, we feel as if we are hanging in midair, like those characters in a movie who cling by their fingertips to cliffs, their feet kicking out into space. That’s suspense – and that’s why stories like The Interlopers by Saki are called cliffhangers. The Grip of Suspense

20. Is the method an author uses to reveal characters and their personalities. There are two types of characterization Characterization

21. Direct Characterization – In which a writer tells us directly what a character is like or what their motives are. Indirect Characterization – In which a writer shows us a character but allows us to interpret for ourselves the kind of person we are meeting. Speech Appearance Private thoughts Actions and How others in the story feel about them.

22. Characters • Static character: A character who doesn’t change. • Dynamic character: A character who develops and grows (changes) during the course of the story. • Flat character: A character who shows only one trait. • Round character: A character who shows many traits in a story, both the good (virtues) and the bad (vices or faults).

23. Literary ElementsPart 3 Symbolism, Tone, and Mood

24. Person, place, thing, or event that stands both for itself and for something beyond itself. A form of figurative language that is identified with something else Public symbols are symbols that are widely recognized and accepted Symbolism

25. Symbolism, Literary Example

26. Why would the eagle be chosen as a symbol of the United States? What metaphors exist within the symbol of the eagle when comparing it to a nation? Symbolism

27. Strength of an eagle’s wings… Sharp eyes… Largeness of the bird… Why do you think our forefathers chose the eagle over Benjamin Franklin’s proposed turkey? Symbolism

28. Tone is the attitude that an author takes toward the audience, the subject, or the character. Tone is conveyed through the author's words and details. Tone

29. Mood is the emotions that you feel while you are reading. Some literature makes you feel sad, others joyful, and sometimes angry. Mood

30. The End