Fiction term

The reason a character acts in a certain way.

the audience or reader knows something that the characters do not know

A story's main idea or insight into life

the time and place in which the events of a short story, play or novel occur

A struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character

Character or force that blocks the main character

the feeling or atmosphere a writer creates for a reader

the opposite of what is expected happens

a factor added to a story to give the protagonist a new problem

what is said is opposite of what is meant

the main character in fiction or drama

The technique of stopping in a story and shifting to an earlier period ot introduce additional information.

the basic situation of a story; the necessary background information

the technique of giving clues to coming events in a narrative

a character struggles against an outside force, which may be a character, society or natue

a reference to a statement, person, place, event or thing that is known from literature, history, religion, poetry, film

the feeling of anxious curiosity the reader/viewer has about what will happen next in the plot

the time just before the climax when the action can go either way -for or against the protagonist

a reflection of an author's attitude toward a subject or theme

a person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself, but also stands for something more than itself.