| A | B |
|---|
| plot | events or happenings in a literary piece |
| theme | an author's viewpoint or opinion on human nature communicated in a literary work |
| genre | kind or type of literature |
| bildsungroman | a coming-of-age piece; protagonist transtions from idealism and dependence to realism and independence |
| protagonist | main character around which the most conflict revolves |
| antagonist | a source of conflict for the protagonist |
| epiphany | a moment of realization, understanding or recognition of something important |
| foreshadowing | hints or clues that an author gives about what will happen in the future |
| flashback | reference to previous events that took place earlier |
| allusion | reference to a well-known person, place, or work of art |
| simile | a comparison of unlike things using like or as |
| hyperbole | exaggeration |
| personification | giving human qualities to non-human objects or beings |
| Freytag's pyramid | a plot outline |
| exposition | backgroung information about setting or characters |
| rising action | where conflicts are introduced and build toward the climax |
| climax | highest point of tension or crisis; turning point |
| falling action | movement toward resolution |
| resolution | conflicts are resolved; denouement |
| characterization | author's creation and development of character |
| direct characterization | author states character's traits directly in the story |
| indirect characterization | author shows character's traits by what he/she says and does |
| static character | a character that stays the same |
| dynamic character | a character that develops or changes |
| magical realism | a combination or fusion of the real and the fantastic or supernatural |
| narrator | person from whose point of view the story is being written |
| first person point of view | narrator tells the story as a character in the story / he or she uses "I" |
| third person limited point of view | narrator is outside of the story and does not know what characters are thinking |
| third person omniscient point of view | narrator of story is outside of the story but is all-knowing and reveals what is going on in the character's mind |
| round character | a character that is many-sided / has many dimensions |
| flat character | a character that is one-sided and often a stereotype |
| foil | a character that is a strong contrast to another character |
| symbolism | person, place or object stands for or represents something other than itself, usually an abstract idea |
| fiction | a story that is made up rather than historically real/factual |
| conflict | a struggle between opposing forces (may be internal or external) |
| metaphor | comparing two things without using "like" or "as" |
| verbal irony | saying the opposite of what you mean or the opposite of what is true |
| situational irony | when something happens that is the opposite of what you expect |
| dramatic irony | the audience or reader knows something that a character does not know |
