| A | B |
|---|
| Point of view | the vantage point from which a narrative is told----Can be mixed |
| 1st person | the author tells the story through a character who refers to himself as “I” |
| 2nd person | he narrator addresses a “you” |
| 3rd person | the narrator is not a character, referring to the characters as “he/she” |
| Omniscient point of view | third person narrator with unlimited knowledge |
| Third-person limited point of view | third person but from the viewpoint of one character |
| Objective or Dramatic point of view | the third person narrator cannot comment, interpret, or enter a character’s mind |
| Character | figure in a literary work |
| Foil character | a character who highlights traits in the main character by contrasting them |
| Flat character | Usually has one or two predominant traits |
| Indirect characterization | the author shows us the character through action and dialogue |
| Direct characterization | the author directly tells us about the character or has another character describe him |
| Round character | complex characters with the three-dimensional qualities of real people |
| Dynamic character | undergoes some distinct change of personality, character, or outlook after an epiphany |
| Static character | remains essentially the same person from beginning to end |
| Stock character | a special kind of flat character, a recurring stereotype in a culture (mad scientist) |
| Archetype | Characters, images, settings, and story patterns that exist universally (the savior, the snake, the flood, the coming of age story) |
| Ambiguity | the meaning cannot be definitely determined (Is the ghost there or is he crazy?) |
| Adverbs | part of speech (often ending in –ly) that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb |
| Tone | the attitude of the author toward the reader or the subject matter of a literary work |
| Mood/Atmosphere | the general feeling created for the reader by the work at a given point |
| Irony | a contradiction or incongruity between appearance and reality |
| Sarcasm | and exaggerated form of verbal or rhetorical irony when one thing is said but another is meant (tends toward ridicule) |
| Setting | the time, place, circumstances of the narrative |
| Dialogue | discourse between two or more characters |
| Symbol | stand for themselves and something else |
| Allegory | an abstract idea is relayed through symbolism in a narrative, giving it both concrete and abstract meanings (Christian encounters Mr. Worldly Wiseman; Characters named Dream, Desire, Destiny in Sandman) |
| Plot | the arrangement and interrelation of events in a narrative work |
| Climax | the point of highest emotional intensity in a work, when the conflict reaches its greatest height |
| Crisis | the turning point in the action occurs |
| Theme | the unifying generalization about life stated or implied by the story |
| Diction | the use of particular words working together to create a particular effect |
| Connotation | associations evoked by a word beyond its literal (or denotative) meaning |
| Syntax | the order and arrangement of words in phrases, clauses, or sentences |
| Imagery | description that appeals to any of the five senses |
| Figurative language | Unusual use of language that goes beyond the literal meaning, including metaphor, simile, personification, etc. |
| Metaphor | the association of two distinct things by representing one with the other |
| Simile | compare two distinct things by using words such as “like” or “as” |
| Personification | human characteristics are given to a non-human |
| Allusion | an indirect reference to a person, event, statement, or theme found in literature, other arts, history, myths, religion, or popular culture |
| Motif | any recurrent image, symbol, theme, character type, subject, or narrative detail that serves as a unifying element in an artistic work |
| Foreshadow | a hint about what will happen later in the plot |
| Suspense | the quality of a work that makes the outcome of a work tense and/or uncertain |
| Antagonist | stands in the way of the protagonist getting what he/she/it wants |
| Protagonist | the most important or leading character in a text |
| External conflict | a clash between a character and a force outside of him/herself |
| Internal conflict | the inner division or turmoil of a single character |
| Genre | the classification of literary works on the basis of their content, form, or technique |
| Prose | ordinary written expression (non poetic) |
| Hyperbole | overstatement; deliberate exaggeration |
| Satire | a literary genre that uses irony, wit, and sometimes sarcasm to expose humanity’s vices and foibles |
| Juxtaposition | the arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side-by-side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical effect, suspense, or character development |
| Oxymoron | a statement with two parts which seem contradictory |
| Euphemism | substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant |
| Paradox | a statement that seems self-contradictory or nonsensical on the surface but that, upon closer examination, may express an underlying truth |
| Anaphora | a word or group of words is repeated at the beginning of two or more successive clauses or sentences |
| Epistrophe | a word or group of words is repeated at the end of two or more successive clauses or sentences |
| Polysyndeton | using several conjunctions in close succession where they are not needed |
| Asyndeton | writer purposefully omits conjunctions to achieve a specific effect |
| Trope | commonly recurring literary device (motifs, themes, images, etc.) |
