| A | B |
|---|
| dynamic character | a character who changes in a meaningful way, who comes to a new understanding |
| static character | a character who does not change in any significant way |
| round character | a complex character with numerous traits |
| flat character | a one dimensional character, with one basic trait |
| character | a person or animal that takes part in a literary work |
| stereotype | an easily recognizable character from a depiction of particular traits; many times racist, classist, or sexist |
| allusion | a reference to a well-known place, person, event, literary work, or work of art |
| epiphany | a revelation or enlightenment; a flash of insight |
| external conflict | a struggle a character has with another character, or society, or God, or the elements |
| internal conflict | a struggle within a character, usually with a value, a standard, or one’s own weakness |
| symbol | an object that represents a meaning or idea beyond itself |
| hyperbole | exaggeration |
| imagery | language that appeals to the senses |
| figurative language | language that is not meant to be taken literally but is meant metaphorically |
| metaphor | a comparison between to unlike things saying one thing is the other |
| simile | a comparison between to unlike things using the terms like or as |
| indirect characterization | the author reveals character through speech, appearance, what other characters’ think |
| direct characterization | the author tells the reader exactly what he is to think about a character |
| tone | the author’s attitude toward the subject |
| diction | the author’s choice of words to create meaning |
| foreshadow | the author’s use of clues or hints to indicate what is to happen |
| suspense | the quality that makes a reader eager to continue; the quality of uncertainty and expectation |
| theme | the main idea of a work |
| juxtaposition | the meaningful placement of something side by side for contrast and effect |
| narrator | the speaker who tells the story |
| first person point of view | the narrator is a character in the story and refers to himself with a first-person pronoun |
| omniscient point of view | the narrator is outside the story and knows what all characters think and feel |
| third person limited point of view | the narrator is outside the story but only knows what one character thinks and feels |
| stream of consciousness | a narrative technique that presents thoughts as if they were coming directly from a character’s mind |
| dramatic irony | the reader or audience knows something the character does not |
| situational irony | a contrast where the unexpected occurs; an event contradicts the expectations of the readers, characters, or audience |
| verbal irony | a word or phrase is used to suggest the opposite of its usual meaning; one thing is said but another is meant |
| plot | the sequence of events in a story |
| exposition | introduction of the setting, characters, and basic situation |
| rising action | the increase of the intensity and number of the conflicts in the story |
| climax | the highest point of interest and suspense in a story; the major turning point |
| anticlimax | an unexpectedly disappointing, suspenseless turning point |
| falling action | the unraveling of the action |
| denoument | the resolution or final outcome of the conflict |
| archetype | an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype after which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all |
