Literary Terms

a struggle between opposing forces; can be internal or external

the highest point of suspense in a piece of literature

making fun of human behavior in cartoons or stories to cause some change

when the story is interrupted to describe an earlier event

a conversation between two or more characters

the atmosphere that is set by the author's words, settings and characters in literature

The four major categories of literature: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama

a reference to a famous person, place, event, or other piece of literature

the narrator is all knowing and can enter the minds of multiple characters

person vs self or person vs the supernatural

the author's attitude toward the subject

the relationship of the narrator to the story that he or she tells

a struggle against some outside force: another character, society, nature or the supernatural

the "bad guy;" a force that causes conflict for the protagonist 

the contrast between what is expected and what appears to be, and what actually is

hints in a literary work that give clues to later events

The person who tells the story

language, style or ideas of another literary work are mimicked for comic or satiric effect

the main point of a literary work which is to be supported by the author

the methods an author uses to acquaint the reader with a character

the main character in a literary work - often the hero; the good guy

a form of language as it is spoken in a certain place

the narrator "I" is a character in the story revealing their experiences

the time and place in which a literary work occurs

the beginning of a book, where the characters and setting are introduced

the main point that the author is trying to get across to the reader

the sequence of events in a story

the narrator is an outsider who reports what happens to others