7th Grade Literary Terms

A problem or struggle between two characters, society, or other outside force.

Development of conflict and complications in a literary work.

The feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage.

Main character of a story

The methods used by an author to create a character.

Against the protagonist. Usually the "bad guy"; can be a person or idea of force.

The most exciting or suspenseful point in a story. Emphasis on the highest point of the story.

The events in a story that come after the climax as the problems from rising action resolve

When a character has a problem with another character.

The emotional associations that surround a word

End of story where loose ends are tied up.

The pronunciation of a particular region or country.

The writer's attitude toward the subject they are writing about.

The dictionary definition of a word

Correspondence of sound between words or endings of words, especially at ends of poetry lines.

A reference to a literary, mythological, biblical, or historical person, place, or thing.

The central message or insight into life revealed through the literary work.

Written conversation in a text

The narrator is actually part of the story and is a character.

The narrator is not part of the story, is not a character, but knows thoughts of one character.

Problem or struggle within a character

The perspective from which the story is told.

Interrupts the peace and balance of a situation in a story. Characters come into a conflict.

The time and/or place the story takes place.

When a character makes a decision about a problem they are having with themselves.

A contrast between appearance and reality.

A narrative tool; introductory material gives the setting, presents characters, sets tone.

The use of an object, person, place, or action that represents something larger than itself.

The author's use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur.

The narrator is not part of the story, is not a character, but knows thoughts of one character.