Quick Handbook of Literary Terms

1. Quick Handbook of Literary Terms What MUST you have in order to have a story? Protagonist- The main character in a piece of literature. Please do not call the protagonist the good guy. The main character may have many faults and would be considered by most to be anything but good. Antagonist – Any force presenting an obstacle for the protagonist. This could be another person, force of nature, or a character trait he or she may have trouble overcoming. Conflict – The struggle between opposing forces. Internal conflict – Conflict that occurs on the inside (struggle with emotions, faults, and making decisions). External conflict – Conflict occurring on the outside (man v man, man v nature, etc.

2. Who is telling the story? • Point of View- The vantage point from which a story is told. • First person narrator – This is the only narrator who is a character in the story and tells the story from his or her point of view. • Third person limited narrator – This narrator is not in the story and is limited to one character’s point of view from which he or she tells the entire story. • Omniscient narrator – This narrator is not in the story and is able to tell a story from every character’s point of view.

3. What type of characters make up the story? • Dynamic character – This is a character who changes throughout the course of the story. • Static character – This character basically stays the same over the course of the story. • Round character – This is a highly developed or well-developed character. • Stock character – This character is here to serve as “filler.” It is a stereotypical character (jock, nerd, outcast) there only to add a little familiarity to the story. We all recognize these characters immediately. • Flat character – This character is not highly developed over the course of the storyline.

4. What happens in the story? • Exposition- This is the introduction or beginning of a story. • Inciting incident – This is an occurrence that jumpstarts the action of the story. • Rising action – The increase in suspense on the way to the climax. • Climax – Moment of greatest intensity in a story, or the turning point in a storyline.

5. Cont’d • Falling action – A decrease in activity on the way to the resolution. • Resolution – The point in the story where the main problem is solved. • Denouement – This is another name for the resolution.

6. How do I discuss this piece of literature? • Plot – This is the series of events • Theme – This is the unifying or dominant idea of a work or literature. This should never be confused or used synonymously with “moral.” • Moral – The lesson learned from a work of literature. While the theme of a piece of literature might be the Inherent Goodness of Man, the moral could be something as simple as “It is better to give than to receive.”

7. Cont’d • Tone – The attitude an author takes toward his work or how he or she wants you to feel while reading a piece of literature. • Diction – The specific word choice of an author. • Mood- The way you feel after reading a piece of literature. • Remember…Diction creates tone, and tone creates mood.

8. Figurative Language • Simile – A comparison between two unlike things using “like or as.” • Metaphor – As far as you know, a metaphor is a comparison NOT using “like or as,” but it is really a figure of speech in which and implicit comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common. • Personification – Giving inanimate objects the ability to possess human characteristics.

9. Alliteration – The repetition of beginning consonant sounds in words close together in a sentence. • Verbal irony – When the intended meaning is opposite of what is said. This is often seen as sarcasm. • Dramatic Irony – This is when the audience sees things and knows things the characters do not. • Situational irony – This is a strange twist or unexpected outcome in a piece of literature.

10. Symbolism – In literature, symbols serve as a representation of deeper ideas or meanings. • Hyperbole – This is over exaggeration used for effect.