Literary Terms!
PLOT• The sequence of
events in a story.
Think of the Parts of a Story like a Peak…
Exposition
Inciting Incident
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Denouement
The Parts of a Story…
1. Exposition – learn background information
2. Inciting Incident – when conflict is introduced
Parts of a Story Continued3. Rising Action – all events leading to
the story’s climax4. Climax – turning point of the plot
where the conflict is resolved5. Falling Action – events resulting from
the climax.6. Denouement – Aftermath of the story,
where we see how things are once the conflict is resolved
Activity
1) In your notes, recreate the plot diagram. With a partner, fill in the elements as they apply to Raymond’s Run.
Conflict – Struggle between opposing forces
Types of Conflict…• Internal Conflict – person vs. self
• External Conflict – person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society, man/woman vs. machine, man/woman vs. supernatural.
Setting1. Place
2. Time
3. Mood
4. Circumstance
Name that setting…
• Describe the four elements of setting for well-known movies…– Time– Place– Mood– Circumstance
Theme – the central idea or main point of a story.
Characters1. Static (stay the same) vs. Dynamic
(change)2. Flat (one-sided) vs. Round (many-
sided)3. Major/Minor/functional
Protagonist – main character
Antagonist – in conflict with/opposes protagonist
Characterization
•The act of creating or developing a character.
Two Types of Characterization…
1. Direct – author states directly what a character is like.
2. Indirect – learn what characters are like through description, what they say, do and think, and how other characters treat them.
Point of View•Through whose eyes and
mind the story is told.
Point of View Continued…
1. First Person – told by a character in the story (uses “I”).
2. Third Person – told by a narrator in the story (uses he/she/they)
a. Omniscient – all knowing (thoughts of two or more characters)
b. Limited – only gets in the mind of one character (or no characters’ thoughts at all)
SymbolAn object, character, or event which
represents something else.
ToneAttitude the author is trying to
convey about the subject.
Ways to Create Tone:
• Tone can be achieved through what one says:EX:
The baby whimpered softly, as warm tears pooled around eyes that began to search desperately for his mother.Vs.
The baby wailed endlessly, as salty tears jetted from eyes that began to search demandingly for his mother.
• Or how one says it:EX: Students, will you take your seats please?-Caring, Angry, Amused, Confused
Irony1. Verbal – say one thing and mean
another2. Dramatic – we know something the
characters don’t know3. Situational – what we expect to
happen doesn’t happen
Huh???
• Verbal Irony (say one thing and mean another): – A guy shows up for a date in ripped jeans and
a t-shirt. His date says, “Oh how nice of you to dress up for our date.”
– A mother scolds her son, saying “You stop being so smart with me!” and the son replies, “If I’m so smart, why don’t you let me make my own decisions!”
– You try!
Huh???
• Dramatic Irony (we know something the character doesn’t):– Pretty much every scene in a horror movie
– Talk shows when the guest doesn’t know that his ex-girl friend or long lost mother is waiting for him, but the audience does
– You Try!
Huh???
• Situational Irony (what we would expect to happen doesn’t):– An Olympic swimmer drowns.
– You stay up studying all night for a test. When you get to class, you realize the test is the next day.
– You Try!
Suspense – a feeling of growing curiosity or anxious uncertainty
about the outcome of an event.
Flashback – reverting to an earlier
time to relate an event.
Foreshadowing – hints at what may happen in a story.
Character Motivation -- the reason for a character’s actions and decisions.
Personification – giving human qualities to non-human objects.
EX: The tree branch tapped angrily against the window.