PlotThe events that make the story.

Antecedent action● The events that occur before the play or story.

Example:The antecedent action in The Metamorphosis is murky at best. Gregor wakes up as a “giant vermin,” and the reader never really knows why or what happened before his transformation. Kafka leaves the antecedent action a mystery, leaving the question literally unanswered: “Why is Gregor a bug?” The reader must piece together his or her own interpretation as to what came before that fateful morning.

Climax● the point in the story or play where the conflict or tension is at its highest point.

Example: In William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”, the story reaches its climax in Act 3. In the first scene of the act, Romeo challenges Tybalt to a duel after he (Tybalt) killed Mercutio:

“And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!

Now, Tybalt, take the ‘villain’ back again

That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio’s soul

Is but a little way above our heads,”

As soon as he killed Tybalt, Romeo says:

“O! I am Fortune’s Fool!”

He realizes that he has killed his wife’s cousin. This is the climax because the audience wonders how

Romeo would get out of the situation.

Conflict

● is the struggle within a character or between characters. Usually between

Protagonist and Antagonist. Example:Hamlet’s internal conflict is the main conflict in

William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”. This internal conflict decides his tragic downfall. He

reveals his state of mind in the following lines from Act 3, Scene 1 of the play:

“To be, or not to be–that is the question:

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep…”

Denouement● resolves the conflict. Example:The denouement in The Great Gatsby happens when

Nick decides to go back to Minnesota to get away from the rich people who are engaged in all those things which Nick thinks are part of the moral worthlessness in Gatsby’s life. All the people in Gatsby’s circle were unfaithful.

Exposition

Used to introduce background information about events, setting, characters,

etc. to the audience and readers. Example: “The Three Little Bears” applies this

technique of exposition.

Once upon a time, there were three bears. There was a Daddy Bear, who was very big, a Mama Bear, who was middle-sized, and a Baby Bear, who was very small. They all lived together in a little cottage in the middle of the woods. Their favorite breakfast was porridge. One morning, after they made their porridge, Daddy Bear said, ‘Let’s go for walk in the woods until it cools.’ Mama Bear and Baby Bear liked the idea, so off they went. While they were away, a little girl named Goldilocks came walking through the forest and smelled the porridge…

Falling Action● the part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and

the conflict has been solved. Example:Hamlet is sent to England to be killed; Hamlet returns to Denmark and confronts Laertes at Ophelia’s funeral; the fencing match; the deaths of the royal family

Flashback● interruptions that writers use to insert past events in order to background or

context to current events. Example:The Bible is a good source of flashback examples. In the Book of Matthew, we see a flashback has been used when Joseph, governor of Egypt, sees his brothers after several years, Joseph “remembered his dreams” about his brothers and how they sold him into slavery in the past.

Foreshadowing● Often appears in the beginning of the story, and helps the reader develop

expectations about the coming events. Example:In the balcony scene, Juliet is concerned about Romeo’s safety as she fears her kinsmen may catch him. Romeo says, in the above lines, that he would rather have her love and die sooner than not obtain her love and die later. Eventually, he gets her love and dies for her love, too.

Frame/frame story

● a secondary story that is embedded in the main story. Example: 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire (adapted from the 2005 novel Q and A), about a poor street kid Jamal coming close to winning Kaun Banega Crorepati (the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) and then being suspected of cheating. Most of the story is narrated at a police station by Jamal, who narrates how he knew the answers to the questions as the show is played back on video. The show itself then serves as another framing device, as Jamal sees flashbacks of his past as each question is asked. The last portion of the film then unfolds without any narrator.

Resolution● the point in a literary work in which the chief dramatic complication is

worked out. Example:Opportunity after opportunity arises for Hamlet to kill his uncle, and again and again he finds a reason to delay. Finally, though, the uncle hatches a plot to poison Hamlet, and succeeds. When Hamlet learns that he himself has been poisoned, and will die, he musters the courage and kills his treacherous uncle.

Rising Action● a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of

greatest interest. Example:The ghost appears to Hamlet and tells Hamlet to revenge his murder; Hamlet feigns madness to his intentions; Hamlet stages the mousetrap play; Hamlet passes up the opportunity to kill Claudius while he is praying.

Subplot● a secondary plan or subordinate plot, as in a play, novel, or other literary

work. Example:The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby appears to be an overnight success since he has no family ties to wealth. It is suggested that one of the ways that Gatsby earned his fortune was through bootlegging (illegally making and selling alcohol during the Prohibition Era, 1920-1933). Gatsby spends his money on extravagant parties enjoyed by many, including the beautiful but married Daisy Buchanan, who Gatsby longs to be with. When Daisy's husband Tom voices suspicions of Gatsby's illegal activity during a heated argument, he accuses Gatsby and his business partner of illegally selling liquor through the drug stores they own. This subplot regarding Prohibition adds to the intensity of the main story and the conflict between Tom and Gatsby.

Citations● www.dictionary.reference.com● www.literarydevices.net● mdsd.org/LinkClick.aspx● www.sparknotes.com● www.thiesmeyer.net/litterms.htm