| A | B |
|---|
| plot | the sequence of events that make up a story |
| introduction | the first part of plot; gives characters, setting, and background information |
| rising action | the second part of plot; conflicts occur |
| climax | the third part of plot; high point of interest; protagonist makes a decision, leading to a change |
| falling action | the fourth part of plot; loose ends of story are being tied up |
| conclusion | the fifth part of plot; the conflict is solved |
| protagonist | main character |
| antagonist | character in conflict with main character |
| flat character | character who never changes |
| round character | character who changes; has multi-faceted personality |
| stereotypical character | character whose actions are judged based on appearances |
| setting | time and place a story occurs |
| point of view | perspective from which the story is told |
| theme | main idea that author tries to communicate to reader |
| symbolism | when an object has a deeper meaning than its surface |
| stream of consciousness | writing that imitates human thought patterns |
| verbal irony | when a character says something unexpectred |
| irony of situation | when an event that is opposite of the expected occurs |
| dramatic irony | when the audience knows something the character doesn't know |
| archetype | a basic pattern |
| static character | another name for a flat character |
| dynamic character | another name for a round character |
| stock character | another name for a stereotypical character |
| verisimilitude | realistic characterization |
| hero | male character archetype who fights evil and usually "saves the day" |
| earthmother | female archetype who tries to take care of everyone around her |
| fem fatal | female archetype who uses men and then drops them when they are of no more use to her |
| wise fool | character who seems stupid, but is really very wise |
| Edgar Allen Poe | considered the father of the modern short story |
| initiation pattern | when a character passes from either childhood to adulthood or from a state of ignorance to a state of knowledge; this passage usually involves physical torture |
| scapegoat pattern | story where one character is sacrificed for the well being of an entire group |
| quest/journey pattern | when the protagonist is on a constant journey forward in search of adventure |
| transcendentalism | literary movement having the characteristics of civil disobedience, love of nature, self reliance, value in person intuition, non-conformity |
| romanticism | literary movement that values emotions over reason, spontaneity, personal freedom, places faith in inner experience, and finds beauty and truth in exotic locations and the supernatural |
| deism | believed that all people at all times could discover natural laws through use of reason |
| rationalism | believe that God wants all people to be happy and that God created the universe but does not interfere with it's workings (the clockmaker) |
| naturalism | nineteenth century literary movement that claimed to portray life exactly as it is, with detachment and objectivity |
| McCarthyism | movement lead by Senator Joseph McCarthy to abolish communism in the U.S.; often compared to the Salem Witchcraft Trials |
