Literary Terms Review

Literary Terms Review English 11 O’Malley

Name that literary term! • “The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor.” • I heard the swishing of her skirts as she walked up the stairs. • "Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.“ • The pen is mightier than the sword.

Name that literary term! • "He was a remarkable Prime Minister with feet of clay". • The less you have the more free you are. • “My love is like a red, red rose.” • Julie wears so much make-up she has to use a sandblaster to get it off at night. • America is a melting pot. • My desk is groaning underneath the mountains of papers to grade. • I love it when my students cheat on their tests.

Short Story • What is a short story? A short story is: -fictional (not true) -a narrative (tells a series of connected events with a beginning, middle, and end -is written in prose, which is words organized into sentences organized into paragraphs(as opposed to poetry)

Short Story • What is a short story? A short story is: -usually 1500 to 3000 words long (but can range between 300 to 12000 words) -is concise, concentrated, and economical (everything in the story is related to a single idea or situation and has a good reason for being there)

Short Story • A short story usually features one or more of the following: PLOT, CONFLICT, CHARACTER, THEME, SETTING, POINT OF VIEW, MOOD • These elements are like the paints an artist uses to create a picture. Just as an artist may choose to paint a picture mainly in blues, a writer might write a story emphasizing plot (or theme, or character), and pay less attention to the other elements.

Plot Plot is the sequence of events that should be linked together and follow one another causally. In most novels, dramas, short stories, and narrative poems, the plot involves both characters and a central conflict. Plot can be represented by a graph.

PLOTLINE Climax Rising Action Falling Action Resolution Exposition Conflict Introduced

Plot -Introduction/Exposition The Exposition is the introduction. It is the part of the work that hooks the reader and introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation.

Plot-Initial Incident The Initial Incident is the first link in the story’s chain of events. If this event never happened, neither would the story. It is the “pont of no return”; once this has happened, there is no going back.

Plot-Rising Action/Complication Rising Action is the part of the plot that begins to occur as soon as the conflict is introduced. The rising action adds complications to the conflict and increases reader interest.

Plot-Climax The Climax is the point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or suspense in the plot of a narrative. The climax is the crisis moment and typically comes at the turning point in a story or drama. Now we know how the story will end.

Plot-Falling Action Falling Action is the action that typically follows the climax and reveals its results.

Plot-Conclusion/Denouement/Resolution The Resolution is the part of the plot that concludes the falling action by revealing or suggesting the outcome of the conflict. Questions are answered and the protagonist’s fate is revealed.

Plot Summary Paragraph Total of 7-11 sentences • Intro: 1-2 sentences that tell character, setting, basic situation • Initial Incident: 1 sentence identifying the event that starts the chain of events • Rising Action: 3-5 sentences that identify the main events building up to the climax • Climax: 1 sentence that identifies the high point of the action • Conclusion: 1-2 sentences that tell how the story ends, and ties up all the loose ends

Your Turn! Create a Plot graph for one of the Short Stories we have studied

Your Turn! Create a Plot Summary Paragraph for one of the Short Stories we have studied

Chronological Order Events that happen in time order, from first to last.

Flashback A flashback is a literary device in which an earlier episode, conversation, or event is inserted into the sequence of events. Often flashbacks are presented as a memory of the narrator or of another character.

Flashforward • The action is interrupted by a vision of something that will happen in the future

Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is the author’s use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story. Writers use foreshadowing to build their readers’ expectations and to create suspense. This is used to help readers prepare for what is to come.

Conflict Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces in a story or play. There are two types of conflict that exist in literature.

Internal Conflict Internal conflict exists within the mind of a character who is torn between different courses of action. Person vs. Himself

External Conflict External conflict exists when a character struggles against some outside force, such as another character, nature, society, or fate. Person vs. Person Person vs. Nature/Environment Person vs. Society Person vs. Supernatural/Machine/Technology Person vs. Machine/Technology

Your Turn! • Give examples of both external and internal conflict in Macbeth.

Character • A character is a person in a work of fiction. • Short stories use few characters. • There are a variety of types of characters used in stories

Characterization • Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves.

Characterization • The author may reveal a character in several ways: a) his/her physical appearance b) what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams c) what he/she does or does not do d) what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

Narrator • The person telling the story • The narrator is NOT the author or writer. • The narrator can be a character in the story.

Protagonist • The protagonist is the main character in a literary work • The protagonist is not necessarily the good guy.

Antagonist • The antagonist is a character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist. • The antagonist is not necessarily the bad guy.

Your Turn! • On your paper take a few minutes to write down some Antagonists that you can recall from movies, television shows, and video games • Remember the Antagonist is in conflict with the Protagonist or, main character! • Helpful hint – you should now know why people use the saying “Don’t antagonize me!”

Foil • The foil is a character whose behaviour, attitudes, or opinions contrast with those of the protagonist. • The foil helps us better understand the protagonist.

Flat / Stereotypical • A flat character is two-dimensional, does not have the depth or complexity of a real person. • A flat character’s actions are predictable, stereotypical, and not life-like.

Stock • A stock character is a familiar character who appears regularly in stories • For example, the wicked landlord, the dumb blond or jock, the corrupt politician, the crazy scientist, etc.

Round • Round characters are multi-dimensional, complex, unpredictable, and life-like. • Round characters have strengths and weaknesses, positive and negative traits, just like a real person.

Static • A static character stays the same, and does not achieve any personal insight, growth or change by the end of the story.

Dynamic /Developing • A dynamic character develops and undergoes a permanent change as a result of the events of the story.

Epiphany • An epiphany is experienced by a character’s sudden realization of an important or significant insight. • It is an like a light bulb suddenly switching on in your head.

Motivation • A character’s motivation is the conscious or unconscious need, drive, or incentive that causes a character to behave in a certain way. • Characters must have sufficient or plausible motivation in order for the reader to find the story realistic or effective.

Direct Characterization • The author tells us what the character is like. • For example, “Bob Loblaw was angry that his name sounded like ‘Blahblahblah’ when said quickly.

Indirect Characterization • The author shows us the character’s actions, thoughts, and words, and we conclude for ourselves what the character is like. • For example, “Bob grumbled whenever anyone said his name fast.”

Caricature • A caricature is an artistic form in which someone or something is imitated in an amusing and generally critical manner. • A caricature exaggerates a distinctive or striking feature with intent to ridicule.

Character Analysis / Sketch • A common English assignment where you reread a piece of literature and focus on one character. • Gather information that the author has presented directly, or draw conclusions from the clues the author has presented indirectly (via the character’s words and actions).

Character Analysis / Sketch • Present the character analysis in a written paragraph or orally, covering: • Background (family, education, occupation, significant experiences • Physical appearance • Personality (traits and values) • Thoughts and feelings (likes, dislikes, worries, fears, hopes, dreams, etc.)

Theme • Theme is the main idea or message of the story, usually implied rather than stated. • Theme is NOT a summary of the action. • Should be stated in a sentence, as opposed to one word. It is what the author wants to say about the topic.

Theme • “is” theme: this is the way life is (e.g. love is frightening and painful, but wonderful) • “should” theme: this is the way life shouldbe, presents a moral (e.g. true love should conquer hatred) • The author told us the story to teach / show us a general truth about life (we don’t have to agree)

Setting • The setting of a literary work is the time and place of the action, and by implication, the norms and customs of that time and place. • In most stories, the setting serves as a context in which the characters interact. The setting of a story often helps to create a particular mood, or feeling.

Setting • Consider the difference the setting plays in the story of a 16-year old girl getting pregnant: • in Jerusalem in 30 A.D. • in Victorian England • in San Francisco in the swingin’ 60’s • in Surrey today • 50 years in the future on Mars

Mood • The mood is the general emotions of the story, or of the author in creating the story • Writer’s use many devices to create mood, including images, dialogue, setting, and plot.

Literary Terms Review