Essential Literary Terms

noun - the form of language spoke in a particular area by particular people

noun - when the reader knows something the character does not know

noun - a person/place/object/activity that stands for something beyond itself; ex: a flag

verb - when a writer gives clues that suggest future events in the story

noun - turning point in story; moment of greatest suspense; conflict at its most intense

noun - the writer's attitude toward the subject

noun - introduces setting and characters; reveals a conflict/sets the stage for conflict

noun - the reason a writer is writing a particular piece; to inform, persuade, or entertain

noun - a sense of excitement, tension, dread, or fear about what will happen next

verb - to restate complete information in simpler terms (put into own words)

noun - dictionary definition

noun - contrast between what a reader/character expects and what actually happens

noun - struggle between opposing forces; ex: man vs man, man vs self, man vs nature

noun - the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

noun - a lesson that a story teaches; can be stated directly or implied

noun - descriptive words/phrases that create sensory experiences for readers

a character that does not change from the beginning of the narrative to the end

noun - a figure of speech where the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect

noun - a written conversation between two or more characters

noun - a struggle between a character and an outside force

noun - characters who are defined by a single trait; normally do not demonstrate complexity

noun - a comparison between two unlike things that share qualities without using like or as

noun - an interruption of the action to present events that took placed at an earlier time

noun - series of events that center on a conflict faced by the main character(s)

noun - the narrator sees into the mind of all of the characters to tell the story