Literary TermsAn Introduction

Theme• Idea or insight about human life, behavior, or

society that gives meaning to a story•Main message of the story•Theme is NOT plot (what happened in the story)•Theme is a generalization about life—it is not just

about the characters in the story—it’s about ALL of US!

Looking for theme:▫What did the main character learn about life? How did

they change over the course of the story?▫How was the conflict resolved?▫What is the title? What does it focus on? What does it

mean? How does it connect to the story?▫Look at the ENTIRE story, not just one part!

Point of View Narrator—the character or voice that tells the story

1ST

PERSON3RD

PERSON LIMITED

3RD PERSON

OMNISCIENT

Pronouns I, my, me he, she, they he, she, they

NarratorParticipation

In the story Not in the story Not in the story

Access toCharacters’

Thoughts

Reader only knows what

“I” senses and feels

Narrator knows the

thoughts and feelings of one

character

Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all

characters

Point of View • First Person (Subjective)

The narrator is a character in the story who can reveal only personal thoughts and feelings and what he or she sees and is told by other characters. He can’t tell us thoughts of other characters.

• Third-Person (Objective)The narrator is an outsider who can report only what he or she sees and hears. This narrator can tell us what is happening, but he can’t tell us the thoughts of the characters.

• Third-Person (Limited)The narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind of one of the characters.

• Third-Person (Omniscient) The narrator is an all-knowing outsider who can enter the minds of more than one of the characters.

PlotChain of related events; the action in a

story that is built around the conflict

Exposition: introduces info about characters, setting, conflict

Rising Action: problem builds; conflict becomes more difficult to resolve

Climax: turning point; height of action; main character comes face to face with the conflict

Falling Action: conflict begins to be resolved

Resolution: (Denouement) conflict ends

Crisis: conflict is at a turning point-before or at the same time as the Climax

Inciting Force: the event or character that triggers the conflict

ConflictConflict is the essence of fiction. It creates plot. Often, more than one kind of conflict is taking place at the same time. In every case, however, the existence of conflict enhances the reader’s understanding of a character and creates the suspense and interest that make you want to continue reading.

The conflicts we encounter can usually be identified as one of four kinds.

CONFLICT: HUMAN VS. HUMAN•Conflict that pits one person against another•Sometimes the conflict can have a

non-“human” antagonist, but the conflict is usually individual vs. individual

•Examples: human vs. supernatural being, human vs. machine, human vs. wizard, animal vs. animal, criminal vs. policeman, etc.)

CONFLICT: HUMAN VS. NATURE•A run-in with the forces of nature. On the

one hand, it expresses the insignificance of a single human life in the cosmic scheme of things. On the other hand, it tests the limits of a person’s strength and will to live.

•Examples: human vs. tornado, human vs. earthquake, human vs. ocean, human vs. wilderness, human vs. sea monster, etc.

CONFLICT: HUMAN VS. SOCIETY• The values and customs by which everyone else

lives are being challenged. • The character may come to an untimely end as a

result of his or her own beliefs. • The character may, on the other hand, bring

others around to a sympathetic point of view, or it may be decided that society was right after all.

• Examples: human vs. government, young person vs. tradition, human vs. church, etc.

CONFLICT: HUMAN VS. SELF• Internal conflict. Not all conflict involves other people.

Sometimes people are their own worst enemies. An internal conflict is a good test of a character’s values.

• Does he give in to temptation or rise above it? Does he demand the most from himself or settle for something less? Does he even bother to struggle? The internal conflicts of a character and how they are resolved are good clues to the character’s inner strength.

• Examples: human vs. sickness, human vs. death, human vs. madness, human vs. morality

ConflictTO REVIEW:•Conflict—problem, struggle, issue in a

story•External Conflict—occurs between the

character and someone/something else Human vs. human (machine, supernatural being) Human vs. nature Human vs. society

•Internal Conflict—occurs inside the character’s mind; emotions, personal decisions, etc.

Human vs. her/himself 

FORESHADOWINGAn author’s use of hints or clues to suggest

events that will occur later in the story. Foreshadowing frequently serves two purposes. •It builds suspense by raising questions that

encourage the reader to go on and find out more about the event that is being foreshadowed.

•Foreshadowing is also a means of making a narrative more believable by partially preparing the reader for events which are to follow.

CharacterizationROLE•Protagonist: Character who experiences conflict; usually the main character.

•Antagonist: Character who creates conflict for the protagonist.

•Foil: A character who provides a contrast to the protagonist.

 

CharacterizationMAJOR CHARACTERSAlmost always round or three-dimensional characters. They have good and bad qualities. Their goals, ambitions and values change. • A ROUND character changes as a result of

what happens to him or her. • A character who changes inside as a result of

what happens to him is referred to in literature as a DYNAMIC character. A dynamic character grows or progresses to a higher level of understanding in the course of the story.

CharacterizationMINOR CHARACTERSAlmost always two-dimensional characters. They have only 1 or 2 striking qualities. Their predominant quality is not balanced by an opposite quality (all good or all bad). Such characters can be interesting or amusing in their own right, but they lack depth. •FLAT characters are sometimes referred to as STATIC characters because they do not change in the course of the story. •STOCK characters are generic archetypes that are found in many stories: the joker, the greedy old man, the girl next door, mean mother-in-law or step-mother, the wise old man, the hen-pecked husband, the smart-alec

little kid, nosy neighbor, etc.

CharacterizationTO REVIEW•  Protagonist: Main Character (Batman)•  Antagonist: Character who conflicts with the protagonist (Joker)• Foil: Character who contrasts with the protagonist (Robin)

PERSONAL GROWTH• Dynamic: Changes!!! Receives new understanding, makes an

important decision, takes crucial action•  Static: Doesn’t change much during the course of the story 

PERSONALITY•  Flat: simple personality, not too many character traits•  Round: complex personality, the reader knows a lot about this

character.•  Stock: Stereotypical character, one we’ve seen many times before

Irony and ParodyIrony = when the opposite of what is expected occurs

Parody = a work that imitates the style of another for comical effect or ridicule

IronyIrony = contrast between expectation

and reality; when we expect one thing, but the opposite occurs

•Verbal Irony = speaker says one thing and means the opposite

•Situational Irony = what happens is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate

•Dramatic Irony = audience or reader is aware of something important that the character doesn’t know

SYMBOLISM•A person, place or object which has a meaning in itself but suggests other meanings as well. Things, characters and actions can be symbols. Anything that suggests a meaning beyond the obvious.

•Some symbols are conventional, generally meaning the same thing to all readers. 

What do these objects symbolize?

The Color Orange

The Color Purple

The Color Blue

The Color Green

The Color Red

Tone•The author’s attitude, stated or implied, toward a subject.

•Some possible attitudes are pessimism, optimism, earnestness, seriousness, bitterness, humorous, and joyful.

•An author’s tone can be revealed through choice of words and details.

Mood•The climate of feeling in a literary work.

•The choice of setting, objects, details, images, and words all contribute towards creating a specific mood.

•For example, an author may create a mood of mystery around a character or setting but may treat that character or setting in an ironic, serious, or humorous tone