Literary Devices Vocab Terms

A struggle between two opposing characters or forces in a story.

The writer portrays a character indirectly, and the reader must interpret the character’s thoughts, feelings, traits

The use of verbal irony to mock or convey contempt.

A scene in a story that interrupts the action to show an event that happened earlier.

story is written in third person point of view, and the thoughts and feelings of more than one character are revealed.

The action in a story that occurs after the climax.

Specialized vocabulary of a particular group or activity.

A category within a literary form. For example, science- fiction, comedy, historical fiction etc.

The events of a story plot that occur before the climax.

Fully developed character w/ the complexities of a real person & is therefore difficult to describe in 1 or 2 sentences.

The central character of a story.

A phrase that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.

A character with little depth or complexity and so can easily be described in a single phrase or sentence

The dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of literature.

The story is told by one of the characters in his or her own words, using I.

The reader gets a hint or clue to what might happen next in the story.

The person or force opposing the protagonist.

The sequence of events in a story.

One who tells a story.

A particular way of speaking or writing.

The big idea or life lesson that a writer wishes to express in the story.

A character that changes or develops during the course of a story.

An imaginary person or anything presented as a person created by the writer.

An everyday type of character that appears so often in stories that their nature is immediately familiar to the reader.

The vantage point from which a story is told.

The story is told from a third person point of view but limited to the thoughts and feelings of a single character

Makes a reader anxious or tense about what will happen next in the story.

A device based on contrast.

Occurs after the climax and is where conflicts are resolved and loose ends are tied up.

The most exciting (or suspenseful) point in a story.

The order of a literary work based on time – on what happened first, second, etc.

writing that exposes the failings of people, institutions or ridicule or scorn in order to correct or expose some evil

The words in a conversation.

The reader is told exactly what a character is like. For example, “She is a very caring person.”

story in third person but avoids including any thoughts or feelings and focuses only on what the characters say or do.

A character that does not change or develop over the course of a story.

The feeling or emotion created by the story.

The introduction; background information regarding the setting, characters, and plot.