Literary Terms

The struggle between two opposing forces in a story.

When the narrator is not part of the story, tells it from the outside, looking in.

The methods a writer uses to reveal character traits.

Something concrete that stands for something abstract.

The author's attitude towards his/her subject matter.

Who is Mrs. Quinn's favorite baseball team?

an individual in a literary work.

When the narrator is part of the story.

The time and place is which the events of a literary work occur.

The main idea or message of a story, poem or novel.

a reference to a person, place, thing or event in a piece of literature.

This exists when a character struggles against some outside force.

The atmosphere of a literary work; the emotions a reader feels when reading the work.

Occurs when facts are not known to the characters but are known by the audience.

The feeling of curiosity, uncertainty or even dread about what will happen next.

the writer reveals character through the individuals thoughts, actions and speech.

the person who's telling the story.

A person or force in society or nature that opposes the protagonist in a story.

when the writer makes specific statements about the character.

An interruption in the chronological order of a narrative to describe an earlier event.

The sequence of events in a literary work.

The central or main character in a literary work around whom the main conflict revolves.

A struggle that takes place within the mind of a character.