| A | B |
|---|
| plot | the events that occur in a work of literature |
| theme | the main idea or message about life that an author is trying to convey |
| symbol | an object, person or event that has meaning in itself, but that also represents a larger idea |
| allusion | a reference within a literary work to someone or something outside the work of literature, usually for a point of comparison |
| metaphor | a comparison between two unlike things |
| setting | the time and place of a story, play or poem |
| protagonist | the main character in a literary work; the one for whom the reader feels empathy or compassion |
| antagonist | the character who is opposed to the protagonist; the one who plays the foil to the protagonist |
| foreshadowing | the use of clues to hint at what might happen next in a literary work |
| irony | the opposite of what is expected to happen, or a meaning that is opposite of what is said |
