| A | B |
|---|
| major character | This character is central to the plot. |
| minor character | This character enters the story, provides action or information, and does not remain central to the plot development. |
| conflict | a struggle between two opposing forces. |
| external conflict | the character has not control over what happens (a storm, another's characters actions) |
| internal conflict | how the character reacts to external forces |
| allusion | A reference to a person, thing, event, situation, or aspect of culture, real or fictional. |
| motif | a recurring feature (such as a name, an image, a symbol or a phrase in a work of literature that contributes to the theme. |
| examples of motif | the clothing imagery in MacBeth; the ugly duckling; doomed lovers |
| symbol | a concrete image used to represent something abstract, such as a concept or idea |
| aside | In a drama, lines spoken in an undertone or directly to the audience. |
| comic relief | A comic scene or clown is introduced to provide emotional relief from the intensity of the previous scene and contrast with what will follow. |
| paradox | A statement, character, or situation that appears to be contradictory but that is nonetheless true. |
| denotation | dictionary definition of a word |
| connotation | emotional response or cultural associations to a word |
| theme | what the literature is about; the idea |
