The time and place of the action of a literary work.• Ex. The setting of Lord of the Flies is on a

deserted island.

The perspective from which a story is told.• First Person

Uses “I”• Third Person

Told by a narrator

A struggle between two opposing forces.• Character vs. Character

When a character has a problem with another character.

• Character vs. Self When a character must make a decision about a

problem or struggle he is having within himself.• Character vs. Society

When a character has a problem with a tradition or rule of society.

• Character vs. Nature When a character has a problem with a force of

nature such as cold, storms, earthquakes, etc.• Character vs. Fate

When a character has a problem with something he can’t do anything about, such as God, luck, death, etc.

A person or animal in a story, play, or other literary work.

Resolution is the part of the story's plot line in which the problem of the story is resolved or worked out. • Very similar to a denouement

A central message or insight into life revealed through the literary work. A lesson about life or people.• The theme of A Christmas Carol is about

giving and how money should not take control over your life.

The words or phrases a writer uses to represent persons, objects, actions, feelings, and ideas descriptively by appealing to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch).

A comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words LIKE or AS.• Ex. - Joe is as stubborn as an old bull.• Ex. - The clouds looked like cotton candy.

A comparison of two unlike things NOT using like or as.• Ex. He stepped up to the plate and grabbed

the bull by the horns. This is comparing baseball (stepping up to the plate) and a bull, meaning a person decided to take action.

A deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration; may be used for either serious of comic effect.• Ex. – I’m so tired I could sleep for a year.

An accepted phrase or expression having a meaning different from the literal.• Ex. – “A backseat driver” or “Break a leg”

Writing that uses inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics.• Ex. – The leaves danced in the wind.

A form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression.• Ex. – “A deafening silence” or “Icy hot”

Reference to a literary, mythological, or historical person, place, or thing.• Ex. - If you take his parking place, you can

expect World War II all over again.

A contrast between appearance and reality – usually one in which reality is the opposite from what it seems; when one thing is expected to happen or be, and the exact opposite occurs.

IronyVerbal

•A contrast between what is said and what is meant. •Most sarcastic comments are verbal irony.

Situational•A contrast between what happens and what was expected to happen.•Ex: When a prank backfires

Irony

Dramatic•A contrast between what the character thinks to be true and what the reader/audience knows is really true.

Static Character• A character that does not grow or change

throughout the story, that ends as he/she began. Usually a secondary character

Dynamic Character• A character that undergoes a change in

actions or beliefs during the course of the story Usually the main character Ex. – Scrooge in A Christmas Carol

The emotions or associations a word normally arouses in people using, hearing, or reading the word.• May be negative, positive, or neutral.

Scrawny has a negative connotation, most people think of something that is malnourished and ugly.

Thin usually has a positive connotation and like an attractive thing to be.

The specific dictionary definition of a word.

The use of any object, person, place, or action that both has a meaning in itself and that stands for something larger that itself, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value.• Most people associate a red octagon with

the meaning “Stop”. • Same with colors, green means go, red

means stop, etc.

The writer’s attitude towards his or her subject. Tone can often be described by a single adjective.

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

See previous notes for definitions.• Plot• Exposition• Inciting Incident• Rising Action• Climax• Falling Action• Denouement

A change ("twist") in the direction or expected outcome of the plot.

The central character, and focus of interest who is trying to accomplish or overcome an adversity, and has the ability to adapt to new circumstances.• Ex. – Harry Potter

The character opposing the protagonist, can be a person, idea, or force.• Ex. - Voldemort in Harry Potter.

The use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur.

Word choice. An author chooses words to create a specific effect.

The variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors, such as social class.• Ex. - Southern accents vs. northern accents

Epiphany

A sudden understanding or realization. An “ah ha!” moment.

Detail

Facts revealed by the writer or speaker that support the attitude or tone of the work.

Suspense

The quality of a literary work that makes the reader tense or uncertain about the outcome of events.

Motif

A recurring element in a literary work. A pattern or strand of imagery or symbolism.

Archetype

A type of character, action, or situation that occurs over and over in literature.

Repetition

A device in which words, sounds, or ideas are used more than once to enhance rhythm and create emphasis.

Motivation

A reason that explains a character's thoughts, feelings, behaviors, or actions.

Pun

A play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply different meanings.