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English Fiction Literary Terms
25 Literary terms
25
English
10th Grade
12/10/2010

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Term
Antagonist
Definition
character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works again the main character, or protagonist, in some way.
Term
Archetype
Definition

A term used to describe universal symbols that evoke deep and sometimes unconscious responses in a reader. In literature, characters, images, and themes that symbolically embody universal meanings and basic human experiences, regardless of when or where they live, are considered archetypes.

 

(In English...a thing that is kind of a model, like star crossed lovers, like Romeo and Juliet, things like that)

Term
Character Flaw
Definition
In the creation and criticism of fictional works, a character flaw is a limitation, imperfection, problem, phobia, or deficiency present in a character who may be otherwise very functional.
Term
Climax
Definition
 a sequence of phrases or sentences, each more forceful or intense than the last, or the conclusion of such a sequence
Term
Conflict
Definition
The struggle within the plot between opposing forces.
Term
Connotation
Definition
Associations and implications that go beyond the literal meaning of a word, which derive from how the word has been commonly used and the associations people make with it.
Term
Denotation
Definition
The dictionary meaning of a word.
Term
Dialouge
Definition
The verbal exchanges between characters. Dialogue makes the characters seem real to the reader or audience by revealing firsthand their thoughts, responses, and emotional states.
Term
Diction
Definition
 A writer’s choice of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning.
Term
Dynamic character
Definition
in literature or drama, a character who undergoes a permanent change in outlook or character during the story
Term
Expostion
Definition
A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work, that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances. Exposition explains what has gone on before, the relationships between characters, the development of a theme, and the introduction of a conflict.
Term
Flashback
Definition

A narrated scene that marks a break in the narrative in order to inform the reader or audience member about events that took place before the opening scene of a work.

Term
Flat Character
Definition
Character that is flat with not much personality, think cardboard here.
Term
Foreshadowing
Definition
When the writer hints at things to come.
Term
Irony
Definition
 literary device that uses contradictory statements or situations to reveal a reality different from what appears to be true.
Term
Mood
Definition

what someone is feeling at a particular time.

 

a state or quality of feeling at a particular time

Term
Point of View
Definition
Refers to who tells us a story and how it is told. What we know and how we feel about the events in a work are shaped by the author’s choice of point of view.
Term
Protagonist
Definition
The main character of a narrative; its central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy. See also character.
Term
Resolution
Definition
The conclusion of a plot’s conflicts and complications. The resolution, also known as the falling action, follows the climax in the plot.
Term
Round Character
Definition
a character in fiction whose personality, background, motives, and other features are fully delineated by the author.
Term
Static Character
Definition
 A literary character who remains basically unchanged throughout a work
Term
Subplot
Definition
The secondary action of a story, complete and interesting in its own right, that reinforces or contrasts with the main plot.
Term
Symbolism
Definition
the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character.
Term
Theme
Definition
The central meaning or dominant idea in a literary work. A theme provides a unifying point around which the plot, characters, setting, point of view, symbols, and other elements of a work are organized.
Term
Tone
Definition
The author’s implicit attitude toward the reader or the people, places, and events in a work as revealed by the elements of the author’s style.
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