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Character
A person, an animal, etc. which is described in a literary work
Characterization
The manner in which an author develops the personalities of the characters in a literary work
Protagonist
The main character in the story, who needs to overcome a difficulty, or an opposing force in order to reach his or her goal
Antagonist
The character who opposes or is in conflict with the main character
Settings
The time and or the place of a story
Theme
The central idea or message in a literary work
Motif
An object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work
A motif is a symbol that develops or explains a theme while a theme is a central idea or message
Narrator
A voice that tells a story.
Point of View
The perspective from which a literary work is told…
Flashback
When the action of a story is interrupted by a scene from the past
The scene from the past is the flashback. It can be in a form of a memory or by a character telling about the events
Foreshadowing
When we can find hints in a story of what is going to happen to the plot or a character
Narrator
The person telling the story
May or may not be a character in the story
Be sure to separate the author from the narrator, they usually aren’t the same person
Irony
When the opposite of what you expect happens, or when you say the opposite of what you mean, usually for humorous effect (as opposed to sarcasm)
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The Structure of the Plot:
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Plot
The sequence of events in a literary work
Exposition
The essential background information at the beginning of a literary work
Conflict
The struggle between opposing forces which is the basis of the plot
Rising Action
A series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest and tension in a narrative
Climax
The turning point in the story
Falling Action
The results or effects of the climax of a literary work
Resolution
When the main conflict is solved
Literary Terms
1st person point of view- The story is told by one of the characters (use of I / we). The narrator is one of the characters of the story.
3rd person point of view- the narrator is telling us about the story but does not take part in it.
3rd person limited- the narrator is able to tell us about the thoughts and feelings of one character.
3rd person omniscient- the narrator is able to tell us everything about everyone.
Internal conflict: a struggle within the character.
External conflict: the struggle of a character with an outside force such as another character.
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