Literary Terms

Exhibits the characteristics of a particular region or country

High point of interest in a story’s plot; often the turning point when the protagonist changes

A brief work of fiction with a simple plot and setting

Reoccurring characters, themes, images, and symbolic situations in literature

Clues that suggest events that have yet to occur

All events that lead up to the climax in a story (conflict often builds during this time)

Reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work or work of art

Introduces the central conflict in the story

Opposes the main character; often viewed as the “villain”

The feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events

The mood or feeling created in a reader by a literary work or passage

Speaker or character who tells a story

A character who represents the opposite of another character

A category or type of literature, poetry, prose or drama

The point in the plot where the conflict begins to subside and lead to a resolution

Variety of language spoken by people in a particular region or of a particular group

Interruptions in the continuity of a story by narration or portrayal of some earlier episode

An object that stands for or represents something else

The central message, insight, or generalization about life in a piece of literature

Fictitious story meant to teach a moral lesson; characters are usually animals