Literary Terms Review

English 11O’Malley

Name that literary term!• “The road was a ribbon of

moonlight over the purple moor.”

• I heard the swishing of her skirts as she walked up the stairs.

• "Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.“

• The pen is mightier than the sword.

Name that literary term!• "He was a remarkable Prime

Minister with feet of clay".• The less you have the more

free you are. • “My love is like a red, red

rose.”• Julie wears so much make-up

she has to use a sandblaster to get it off at night.

• America is a melting pot.• My desk is groaning

underneath the mountains of papers to grade.

• I love it when my students cheat on their tests.

Short Story• What is a short story?A short story is:-fictional (not true)-a narrative (tells a series of

connected events with a beginning, middle, and end

-is written in prose, which is words organized into sentences organized into paragraphs(as opposed to poetry)

Short Story• What is a short story?A short story is:-usually 1500 to 3000 words long (but can range between 300 to 12000 words)-is concise, concentrated, and economical (everything in the story is related to a single idea or situation and has a good reason for being there)

Short Story• A short story usually features one or

more of the following: PLOT, CONFLICT, CHARACTER,THEME, SETTING, POINT OF VIEW, MOOD• These elements are like the paints an

artist uses to create a picture. Just as an artist may choose to paint a picture mainly in blues, a writer might write a story emphasizing plot (or theme, or character), and pay less attention to the other elements.

PlotPlot is the sequence of

events that should be linked together and follow one another causally.

In most novels, dramas, short stories, and narrative poems, the plot involves both characters and a central conflict.

Plot can be represented by a graph.

PLOTLINE

ExpositionResolution

Ris

ing

Actio

n

Climax

Falling Action

Conflict Introduced

Plot -Introduction/Exposition

The Exposition is the introduction. It is the part of the work that hooks the reader and introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation.

Plot-Initial IncidentThe Initial Incident is the first link in the story’s chain of events. If this event never happened, neither would the story. It is the “pont of no return”; once this has happened, there is no going back.

Plot-Rising Action/Complication

Rising Action is the part of the plot that begins to occur as soon as the conflict is introduced. The rising action adds complications to the conflict and increases reader interest.

Plot-ClimaxThe Climax is the point of

greatest emotional intensity, interest, or suspense in the plot of a narrative. The climax is the crisis moment and typically comes at the turning point in a story or drama. Now we know how the story will end.

Plot-Falling ActionFalling Action is the

action that typically follows the climax and reveals its results.

Plot-Conclusion/Denouement/Resolution

The Resolution is the part of the plot that concludes the falling action by revealing or suggesting the outcome of the conflict. Questions are answered and the protagonist’s fate is revealed.

Plot Summary ParagraphTotal of 7-11 sentences1.Intro: 1-2 sentences that tell character, setting, basic situation2.Initial Incident: 1 sentence identifying the event that starts the chain of events3.Rising Action: 3-5 sentences that identify the main events building up to the climax4.Climax: 1 sentence that identifies the high point of the action5.Conclusion: 1-2 sentences that tell how the story ends, and ties up all the loose ends

Your Turn! Create a Plot graph for one of the Short

Stories we have studied

Your Turn! Create a Plot Summary Paragraph for

one of the Short Stories we have studied

Chronological OrderEvents that happen in time order, from first to last.

FlashbackA flashback is a literary

device in which an earlier episode, conversation, or event is inserted into the sequence of events. Often flashbacks are presented as a memory of the narrator or of another character.

Flashforward• The action is

interrupted by a vision of something that will happen in the future

ForeshadowingForeshadowing is the author’s

use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story. Writers use foreshadowing to build their readers’ expectations and to create suspense. This is used to help readers prepare for what is to come.

Conflict

Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces in a story or play.

There are two types of conflict that exist in literature.

Internal Conflict

Internal conflict exists within the mind of a character who is torn between different courses of action.

Person vs. Himself

External ConflictExternal conflict exists when a character

struggles against some outside force, such as another character, nature, society, or fate.

Person vs. PersonPerson vs. Nature/EnvironmentPerson vs. SocietyPerson vs. Supernatural/Machine/TechnologyPerson vs. Machine/Technology

Your Turn!• Give examples of both

external and internal conflict in Macbeth.

Character• A character is a person in

a work of fiction.• Short stories use few

characters.• There are a variety of

types of characters used in stories

Characterization• Characterization is the

information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves. 

Characterization• The author may reveal a

character in several ways: a)  his/her physical appearance b)  what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams c)  what he/she does or does not do d)  what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

Narrator• The person telling the

story • The narrator is NOT the

author or writer.• The narrator can be a

character in the story.

Protagonist

• The protagonist is the main character in a literary work

• The protagonist is not necessarily the good guy.

Antagonist

• The antagonist is a character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist.

• The antagonist is not necessarily the bad guy.

Your Turn!

• On your paper take a few minutes to write down some Antagonists that you can recall from movies, television shows, and video games

• Remember the Antagonist is in conflict with the Protagonist or, main character!

• Helpful hint – you should now know why people use the saying “Don’t antagonize me!”

Foil• The foil is a character

whose behaviour, attitudes, or opinions contrast with those of the protagonist.

• The foil helps us better understand the protagonist.

Flat / Stereotypical• A flat character is two-

dimensional, does not have the depth or complexity of a real person.

• A flat character’s actions are predictable, stereotypical, and not life-like.

Stock• A stock character is a

familiar character who appears regularly in stories

• For example, the wicked landlord, the dumb blond or jock, the corrupt politician, the crazy scientist, etc.

Round• Round characters are

multi-dimensional, complex, unpredictable, and life-like.

• Round characters have strengths and weaknesses, positive and negative traits, just like a real person.

Static• A static character stays

the same, and does not achieve any personal insight, growth or change by the end of the story.

Dynamic /Developing• A dynamic character

develops and undergoes a permanent change as a result of the events of the story.

Epiphany• An epiphany is

experienced by a character’s sudden realization of an important or significant insight.

• It is an like a light bulb suddenly switching on in your head.

Motivation• A character’s motivation is the

conscious or unconscious need, drive, or incentive that causes a character to behave in a certain way.

• Characters must have sufficient or plausible motivation in order for the reader to find the story realistic or effective.

Direct Characterization• The author tells us what

the character is like. • For example, “Bob Loblaw

was angry that his name sounded like ‘Blahblahblah’ when said quickly.

Indirect Characterization• The author shows us the

character’s actions, thoughts, and words, and we conclude for ourselves what the character is like.

• For example, “Bob grumbled whenever anyone said his name fast.”

Caricature• A caricature is an artistic

form in which someone or something is imitated in an amusing and generally critical manner.

• A caricature exaggerates a distinctive or striking feature with intent to ridicule.

Character Analysis / Sketch

• A common English assignment where you reread a piece of literature and focus on one character.

• Gather information that the author has presented directly, or draw conclusions from the clues the author has presented indirectly (via the character’s words and actions).

Character Analysis / Sketch

• Present the character analysis in a written paragraph or orally, covering:

1.Background (family, education, occupation, significant experiences

2.Physical appearance3.Personality (traits and values)4.Thoughts and feelings (likes, dislikes,

worries, fears, hopes, dreams, etc.)

Theme• Theme is the main idea or

message of the story, usually implied rather than stated.

• Theme is NOT a summary of the action.

• Should be stated in a sentence, as opposed to one word. It is what the author wants to say about the topic.

Theme• “is” theme: this is the way life is

(e.g. love is frightening and painful, but wonderful)

• “should” theme: this is the way life should be, presents a moral (e.g. true love should conquer hatred)

• The author told us the story to teach / show us a general truth about life (we don’t have to agree)

Setting• The setting of a literary work

is the time and place of the action, and by implication, the norms and customs of that time and place.

• In most stories, the setting serves as a context in which the characters interact. The setting of a story often helps to create a particular mood, or feeling.

Setting• Consider the difference the

setting plays in the story of a 16-year old girl getting pregnant:

• in Jerusalem in 30 A.D.• in Victorian England• in San Francisco in the swingin’

60’s• in Surrey today• 50 years in the future on Mars

Mood• The mood is the general

emotions of the story, or of the author in creating the story

• Writer’s use many devices to create mood, including images, dialogue, setting, and plot.

Tone• The tone is the attitude a

writer takes towards his/her subject (e.g. Serious, admiring, angry, envious, etc.)

• Tone is created through choice of words and details.

Comic Relief• Comic relief is a funny

part inserted into a serious or tragic work (especially a play) to break the tension.

Suspense• Suspense is the growing

interest and excitement readers experience while awaiting a climax or resolution in a work of literature.

• Writers create suspense by raising questions in the minds of their readers.

Dilemma• The dilemma is the

situation in which the character must choose between two equally unfavourable and undesirabl.e outcomes

Dialogue• Dialogue is actual

conversation between characters.

• Dialogue creates interest, develops plot, and reveals character.

• When writing dialogue, a new paragraph is started whenever a new character speaks.

Dialect• Dialect is the speech of a

particular geographical area, social class, or occupational group, distinguished by its vocabulary, grammar, and pronounciation (e.g. American southern drawl “Ah’m mighty glad to make yo’ acquaintance”).

Irony• Irony is the difference between what

you expect to happen, and what actually occurs. There are 3 kinds of irony:

1.Verbal - the difference between what is said, and what is meant / intended.

e.g. “Nice haircut!” to a friend whose hair looks terrible(Note: sarcasm is verbal irony intended to hurt or ridicule)

Irony2. Situational - the difference

between what is appropriate / expected, and what actually happense.g. The police station gets robbed; the fire chief’s house burns down; the day you finally make it to school on time, it turns out to be a Pro-D Day

Irony3. Dramatic - the irony occurring

when the implications of a situation, speech, etc., are understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play / story because the audience knows something that the character doesn’te.g. In “Romeo and Juliet”, Romeo plans his suicide thinking Juliet is dead, but we know she isn’t.

Your Turn!• The beautiful woman lawyer walked

into the courtroom wearing a visibly stained suit that frayed at the edges.

• “Oh, and there’s a thrilling shot of one of the kids being sick on a small fishing boat off the coast of Florida and we are hovering over him offering him salami and mayonnaise sandwiches. That one really breaks us up.”—Erma Bombeck

• Juliet is actually not dead, but asleep with the help of a strong potion. Romeo sees her lying in the tomb and kills himself because he believes her to be dead.

Parody• Parody is a literary

composition that mimics the style of another author in a humourous or satirical way.

• The TV show “The Simpsons” will often parody literature; for example the episode “Das Bus” is a parody of the novel Lord of the Flies.

Satire• A literary composition in which topical

issues, folly, or evil are held up to scorn by means of ridicule and irony (humour is pointed and intentionally critical).

• Jonathan Swift, anAnglo-Irish satirist, suggests in his A Modest Proposal that Irish peasants be encouraged to sell their own children as food for the rich, as a solution to the "problem" of poverty.

• On TV, shows such as South Park, The Colbert Report, and This Hour Has 22 Minutes are examples of modern satire.

Allegory• Allegory is a device in which

characters or events represent or symbolize ideas and concepts

• As a literary device, an allegory in its most general sense is an extended metaphor

• William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies is considered an At an allegory about the conflicting impulses toward civilization (living by rules, peacefully and in harmony) and towards the will to power.

Point of ViewPoint of View is the identity of the narrative voice; the person or entity through whom the reader experiences the story. It is identified in two ways:1.Who is telling the story? (Mary, the father, the unknown narrator, etc., not the author)2.Which point of view is the author using? In other words, how much access do we have to the narrator’s thoughts and feelings?

.

Point of View2a. First-person (I, We) The narrator is standing in the middle of as it happens. The reader has total access to the to the narrator’s thoughts/feelings ONLY. e.g.: “I told him to leave me alone. I was furious.

Point of View2b. Second person

(You) The style which addresses

thereader as you, hoping tomake you identify with thecharacter.

Point of View2c. Third Person (He, She, Mrs.

Fancypants, They)The narrator is standingoutside the story, watching ithappen.e.g.: She told me to leave her alone.The reader has access to the thoughts /feelings of none, or one or more of the characters. (see next slides)

Point of View2c. Third Person Objective (none):The narrator knows thoughts / feelings of none of the characters, but reports the words / actions observed.e.g.: Bob glared at Mandy, who was talking to Rico. When Bob ordered her to come over, Mandy’s face got red and her jaw clenched. Rico said, “Man, I hate your boyfriend! Tell him to chill!”

Point of View2c. Third Person Limited Omniscient (one):The narrator knows thoughts / feelings of only one of the characters.e.g.: Bob was jealous. Mandy’s face got red and her jaw clenched. Rico said, “I hate that Bob! Tell your boyfriend to chill, Mandy!”

Point of View2c. Third Person Omniscient (two or more):The narrator knows thoughts / feelings of all of the characters, plus has “god-like” access to events past, present, future, anywhere.e.g.: Bob was jealous. Mandy got angry. Rico hated Bob.

Your Turn!Which point of view are each of the following?

1. Mary's uncertainty cut like a knife in my gut.2. Mary's uncertainty cut like a knife in John's gut. 3. You know how uncertainty can cut like a knife?4. Mary’s uncertainty cut like a knife in John’s gut, froze her mother in shock and made the entire room stand still.

Create your own example of third person omniscient, giving one of your characters ant bites.