Literary Elements and Devices

An interjected scene in a story that takes the reader back in time to previous events.

The time and place where a story occurs.

The use of specific images or objects to represent something bigger.

The turning point in a story or the dramatic high point.

The struggle between opposing forces which is the driving force of a story.

The message or lesson in a story.

The person or being through whom the story is experienced.

A character who is extremely realistic, behaving  and speaking in a "real life" manner.

The main character in the story. The one whom the reader is meant to "cheer for".  Good Guy

A category of literature.  For example: horror, fantasy, science fiction.

From the point of view of a specific character in the story.

The conclusion or ending to the story when everything gets wrapped up for the reader.

A reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another writing.

Hints or clues to future events in the story.

General feeling the reader is supposed to get and is created by the author through word choice.

From point of view of a narrator who knows thoughts and actions of just one or two characters.

From the point of view of a narrator who knows the thoughts and actions of all the characters.

A character who does not change during the course of a story.

A character who changes during the course of a story.

The people, animals, or things who inhabit and take part in a story.

The growing sense of excitement felt by the reader while awaiting the climax of the book.

Interjected scene in which a future event is inserted into chronological structure of a story.

Sensory details that help a reader to see, feel, smell, taste, or hear the scenes in the story.

The sequence of events in a story.

The beginning or early development of a story. The reader learns about characters and setting.

A character who offers no mental or emotional development. He/She does not exhibit complexity.

The "opposite" of main character in a story and usually the one causing the conflict. Bad Guy.