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Mrs. Story's Literary Terms
These are literary terms that you will need to know for 9th grade literature
31
English
9th Grade
09/11/2009

Additional English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term

 

 

plot

Definition

 

 

A series of related events in a story, each connected to the next.

Term

 

 

sequence

Definition

 

 

The order in which a story's events take place

Term

 

 

conflict

Definition

 

 

A struggle between two forces.

Term

 

 

external conflict

Definition
a conflict that takes place between two characters; between a character and a group; or between a chracter and an animal or a force in nature.
Term

 

 

internal conflict

Definition

 

an internal conflict is a struggle that takes place within a character's mind or heart.

Term

climax

Definition

 

the most exciting part of a story; the moment when the outcome of the conflict is determined.  The climax usually comes near the end of a short story.

Term

 

Resolution

Definition

 

(also called denouement) The very end of the story, when loose ends of the plot are tied up.

Term

 

flashback

Definition

 

An action that interrupts the story to introduce an event that took place in the past.

Term

flash-forward

Definition

 

An action that jumps ahead of the story to narrate an event that happens at a later time.

Term

 

foreshadowing

Definition

 

Hints in a story that certain events are going to happen later.

Term

 

setting

Definition

 

 

The time and place in which the story happens.

Term

 

 

atmosphere

Definition

 

mood or feelings brought on by a story's setting

Term

 

characterization

Definition

 

the way writers create characters in a story

Term

 

direct

characterization

Definition

 

 

when writers tell us directly what a character is like (good, evil, or lazy). 

Term

indirect

characterization

Definition

 

when the reader uses clues in the story to decide what kind of person a charcter is.  Clues may be descriptions of how the character acts, speaks, and thinks and how other people respond to the character.

Term

 

 

protagonist

Definition

 

 

the main character in the story

Term

 

 

antagonist

Definition

 

the character that the main character (protagonist) struggles against.

Term

 

subordinate

characters

Definition

 

minor characters in the story

Term

 

 

motivations

Definition

 

the reasons behind a character's actions and feelings

Term

 

flat character

Definition

 

a character who is not fully developed in the story.  A flat character is almost never the main character.

Term

 

round character

Definition

 

a character who is fully developed, just as a person in actual life is

Term

 

dynamic character

Definition

 

a character who changes during the story.  The change might involve recognition of some truth about life.

Term

 

static character

Definition

 

a character who does not change during the story

Term

 

dialogue

Definition

 

the conversations characters have with other characters

Term

 

first-person

narration

Definition

 

a story told by an "I" narrator.  An "I" narrator is a character in the story who reveals only what he knows or chooses to reveal.  Some first-person narrators are credible or trustworthy. Other are unreliable and may not always tells the truth about characters or events in the story.

Term

 

 

narrator

Definition

 

the teller of a story.  A narrator tells the story from one of three points of view.

Term

 

onmiscient

point of view

Definition

 

this point of view allows the narrator to tell the reader everything about the characters, including how they think and feel.  This character is not a character in the story.

Term

 

third-person-limited

narrator

Definition

 

an omniscient narrator that focuses on only one character's actions and feelings.

Term

 

diction

Definition

 

the writer's choice of words

Term

 

tone

Definition

 

the writer's attitude toward the subject of a story, toward a character, or toward the reader.  A story's tone can be described by words like humorous, serious, sad, sarcastic, sympathetic.

Term

 

voice

Definition

 

the writer's use of language and overall style, created by tone and choice of words

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