Literary Terms

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Literary Terms

• Guide to Understanding What You Read

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LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Setting
• the time, place, physical details, and
  circumstances in which a situation occurs.

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LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Major Characters The character who dominates the
  story is the major character.
• Readers can learn about major characters in many
  ways, including
• Physical traits
• Dialogue
• Actions
• Attire
• Opinions
• Point of view

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LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Minor Characters
• A character who does not have a major impact on
  the story but is seen on several occasions.

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LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Protagonist A protagonist is considered to be
  the main character or lead figure in a novel,
  play, story, or poem.  It may also be referred to
  as the "hero" of a work.

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LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Antagonist a character in a story or poem who
  deceives, frustrates, or works again the main
  character, or protagonist, in some way.
• The antagonist doesnt necessarily have to be an
  person. It could be death, the devil, an illness,
  or any challenge that prevents the main character
  from living happily ever after."
• In fact, the antagonist could be a character of
  virtue in a literary work where the protagonist
  represents evil.

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LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Foil is a character that contrasts another
  character, often the protagonist, that therefore
  highlights certain qualities of the protagonist
  (or whoever the foil may be).
• Ex Jafar would be the foil to Aladdin in the
  movie Aladdin

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LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Round A round character is a major character in
  a work of fiction who encounters conflict and is
  changed by it.
• Round characters tend to be more fully developed
  and described than flat, or static, characters.
  If you think of the characters you most love in
  fiction, they probably seem as real to you as
  people you know in real life. This is a good sign
  that they are round characters.

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LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Flat Flat characters are minor characters in a
  work of fiction who do not undergo substantial
  change or growth in the course of a story.
• Also referred to as "two-dimensional characters"
  or "static characters," they play a supporting
  role to the main character.

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LITERARY TERMS

• Literary allusion is a brief reference to a
  person, event, or place, real or fictitious, or
  to a work of art. Casual reference to a famous
  historical or literary figure or event.An
  allusion may be drawn from history, geography,
  literature, or religion.
• ExampleChristy didn't like to spend money. She
  was no Scrooge, but she seldom purchased anything
  except the bare necessities".

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LITERARY TERMS

• Simile is the comparison of two unlike things
  using like or as. Related to metaphor.
• ExampleHe eats like a pig. Vines like golden
  prisons.

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LITERARY TERMS

• Foreshadowing is the use of hints or clues to
  suggest what will happen later in literature.
• Example Sam wished he could rid himself of the
  sick feeling in his gut that told him something
  terrible was going to happen, and happen soon.

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LITERARY TERMS

• Paradox reveals a kind of truth which at first
  seems contradictory. Two opposing ideas.
• "Some day you will be old enough to start reading
  fairy tales again."

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LITERARY TERMS

• Irony is an implied discrepancy between what is
  said and what is meant.Three kinds of irony
• 1. verbal irony is when an author says one thing
  and means something else.
• 2. dramatic irony is when an audience perceives
  something that a character in the literature does
  not know.
• 3. irony of situation is a discrepancy between
  the expected result and actual results.

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LITERARY TERMS

• Hyperbole is exaggeration or overstatement.
  Opposite of Understatement
• ExampleI'm so hungry I could eat a horse.He's
  as big as a house.

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LITERARY TERMS

• Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound
  it represents. also imitative harmony
• Examplesplash, wow, gush, buzz

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LITERARY TERMS

• Pun Play on words
• Example A bicycle can't stand alone because it
  is two-tired.
• Example She had a boyfriend with a wooden leg,
  but broke it off.

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LITERARY TERMS

• Oxymoron is putting two contradictory words
  together.
• Examples
• hot ice
• cold fire
• wise fool
• sad joy
• eloquent silence

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LITERARY TERMS

• Theme is the general idea or insight about life
  that a writer wishes to express. All of the
  elements of literary terms contribute to theme.
• A simple theme can often be stated in a single
  sentence.
• ExampleAfter reading (this book, poem, essay),
  I think the author wants me to understand......."

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SUMMARIZING

• Conflict or Plot is the struggle found in
  fiction. Conflict/Plot may be internal or
  external
• It is best seen in
• (1) Man in conflict with another Man
• (2) Man in conflict in Nature
• (3) Man in conflict with self.

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SUMMARIZING

• Plot Diagram