Literary Terms

The place and time in which a story, play, or novel happens

The point of highest interest and greatest emotional involvement in a story; the turning point of the story

The emotional quality of a story – especially of a story’s setting – influences the attitudes of characters and readers

A division or type of literature classified by its length, subject, audience, etc.

Exists when a character struggles against some outside force, such as a character, nature, society, or fate

The main idea of a story, poem, novel, or play, usually expressed as a general statement about life

A character or force in conflict with the main character of a story; this is the villain or the “bad guy”

Comparing two things without using the words “like” or “as”

An extreme exaggeration that isn’t meant to be taken literally

The part of a plot that ends the falling action by telling or implying the final outcome of the story

The main character in a literary work; it is usually the hero or the “good guy”

The sequence of events in a story when each event results from a previous one and causes the next

A figure of speech in which an animal, object, or idea is described as having human characteristics

The use of clues by an author to prepare readers for events that will happen later in a story

A feeling of anxious uncertainty about what is going to happen next

Comparing two things using the words “like” or “as”

Words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses

A lesson taught by a piece of work

An introduction to people, places, and situations that are important to the plot of a story

The person who tells a story; it is not always the protagonist of the story