Fiction Terms

The time and place

Character in a work of fiction who has little or no description or background

protagonist or another main character is referred to using pronouns like, he she and they.

Characters who do not play a significant role in the plot. The plot could go on without them.

related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest

A character in a work of fiction who encounters conflict and is changed by it

character who undergoes little or no inner change; a character who does not grow or develop.

insert past events in order to provide background/context to the current events of a narrative

Description of a character by either direct or indirect means

The character(s) who play significant roles in the story / story can not go on without them.

is when a person says or writes one thing and means another

The character is complex and increases in complexity throughout the story.

The part in the plot when an answer or solution to a conflict, problem is found

The events of a dramatic or narrative plot following the climax.

Struggle between a literary or dramatic character and an outside force

protagonist takes actions against the antagonist surrounding the central conflict of the story

Things that can be touched which come to mean or stand for something else

attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience

The main subject that is being discussed or described in a piece of writing, a movie, etc.

third person, narrator knows the feelings and thoughts of every character in the story

struggle within the mind of a literary or dramatic character

character who contrasts with another character to highlight qualities of the other character.

is when actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended

Beginning of a story that offers the time, place, and character introduction

An advance sign or warning of what is to come later on in the plot.

The opponent of the hero or protagonist (gets in the way or tries to stop).

third person in which a narrator only knows the feelings of one character in the story.

The main character in a drama or other literary work (does not have to be the good guy).

evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions. atmosphere

story line, the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work

character who undergoes little or no inner change; a character who does not grow or develop.

two or more ideas, places, characters placed side by side for comparisons and contrasts

character sharing events that he or she is experiencing. Use of I or We

occurs when the audience knows something that the characters don’t.