Story Elements - technical terms

Takes place between a character and something outside the character.

Takes place inside a characters mind or heart. Sometimes involves a decision.

A scene interrupts the sequence of events to tell about something that happened in the past

The narrator is an outside observer that focuses on the thoughts & feelings of one character

A struggle, either mental or physical, between two characters

When the expected outcome does not occur in a story, movie, or novel.

Occurs when the audience knows something the characters do not.

The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in a story.

The leading character in a drama, movie, novel etc. Usually the hero

A struggle between a character and his feelings, conscience or fear.

The story is told from the viewpoint of one of the characters using the pronouns “I” and “we”

The feeling of excitement or tension in a story

The time and place where a story takes place. This can include a time period.

A character that remains the same through a story. The reader knows little about the character

A common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work.

A character which changes during the course of a story or novel.

The way the author describes the character; qualities/traits of the characters.

The narrator reports the facts as a seemingly neutral and impersonal outside observer.

A literary device used to introduce background info about events, settings, characters etc.

A character who demonstrates a variety of traits. These may change over the course of a story.

Shows the author’s attitude toward the subject. It might be formal, informal, solemn, etc.

A struggle between a character and mother nature; for example- weather, animals, sickness etc.

An author’s use of vocabulary, level of diction, sentence structure, arrangement of ideas.

An inherent incompatibility (struggle) between two or more characters or forces in a story.

Is often a comment that conveys a different or opposite meaning than what it may seem to be.

A character who reveals only 1 or 2 personality traits in a story and the traits don't change.

A person in a movie, novel, etc. who opposes or is hostile to the lead character; the "bad" guy

The climate of feeling in a literary work.

A hint or clue about what will happen in story.

A story conclusion/ending that the reader does not expect.

The part of a story in which the parts of the plot are pulled together & conflicts are resolved

A related series of events in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest.

A decisive moment that is of maximum intensity; highest most exciting part of the story

A struggle between a character and the laws or beliefs of a group; expectations; norms, etc.

The part of a plot that occurs after the climax and the conflict/problem has been resolved.