|Mood/atmosphere ||The attitude created by the author toward the subject or prevailing emotions of the work. Revealed through imagery, characters, events, setting and other elements. Can be a feeling of gloomy, happy, dreary etc.
|Theme ||Grounds our interpretations. An idea that arises in a work and reflects ideas and beliefs that have surfaced in our human consciousness repeatedly through the ages.
|Tone ||Affects the overall feel of the work. The authors attitude about the subject in which he or she is writing. Can reflect any human attitude toward a subject|
|Plot ||Action elements. Often used in evaluating work. Discussing the plot line of a story without getting into details. |
|Exposition ||The first element, opening of the story, helps audience understand and engage them in events to come. |
|Rising Action ||Includes Exposition. Builds events and tension|
|Climax ||When the rising action of the story reaches its peak. When story reaches its highest intensity.
|Falling Action ||Follows the climax and flows toward the conclusion. |
|Denouement (Resolution) ||Final outcome. The closure to the story. |
|Subplot "double plot" ||A secondary plot to the main plot of the story. |
|Foreshadowing ||Events to come later in the story are hinted at to build tension|
|Conflict (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self, man vs. society) ||A struggle between forces. Often a large part of the rising action. |
|Complication ||A term used to denote the development of conflict comprising the rising action. |
|Crisis ||when a character is forced to make some kind of decision. usually closely connected to some kind of turning point in the story. |
|Recognition ||A moment when a character advances from a stage of ignorance to an advanced state of knowledge and recognizes something previously unrecognized. Comprises part of the characters development and growth. |
|Characterization ||concerns the variety of techniques and strategies used to create characters of various types. Relates you to characters. |
||The central character in a story. Sets events in motion. Not always heroic in nature. |
|Antagonist ||Opposes the Protagonist. Can be society and nature, not just a person. |
|Hero ||like a protagonist, is a central character, associated with a strong moral character. |
|Anti-Hero ||like a protagonist, is a central character, associated with a strong moral character. |
|Foil ||A character that is used to highlight elements of more central characters through contrast. Main purpose to to allow aspects of more common characters to come out.
||Often used to populate the world of the story. |
|Flat Character ||A character that does not come across as fully developed. Distinguished by one main trait and does not have the capacity to change throughout the story. |
|Round Character ||A character that is developed and complex and has the capacity to change throughout the story. |
|Archetype ||A character, image, detail, motif, or other elements that consistently surfaces in literary works over time and represents a significant pattern in human experiences and beliefs. |
|Epiphany ||When a character has a strong realization or understanding. Crucial turning point. Inner transformation for the character. |
|Persona ||Whatever voice the author is using to tell the story. What style, what tone, etc. |
|Point of View ||The perspective from which the literary work is told. The lens of the narrator. |
||A speech delivered by one character onstage during a play.|
|Motivation ||The factors that cause characters to do the things they do.|
|First Person Point of View ||If author uses terms like "we, us, ours" |
|Second Person Point of View
||An account from the addressee's point of view. (you, your) Most commonly used in poetry. |
|Third Person Objective point of View: ||A distanced perspective where the narrator focuses just on the external events and does not convey information related to the inner thoughts, desires, and motives of character's; readers get little to no sense of what a character's thoughts are. |
|Third Person Limited Point of View ||readers re provided direct access to that particular characters thoughts, desires, and motivations. |
|Third Person Omniscient Point of View ||A narrative presence that is all-knowing and has access to all characters thoughts, motivations, feelings and lives. |
|Irony ||Takes many different forms. Refers to discrepancy between the literal and the actual.
|Verbal Irony ||When a statement means the opposite of its literal meaning. (sarcasm) |
|Situational Irony ||When the expected situation ends up being different from the actual situation. (bought a bus ticket, was a holiday so didn’t need to pay) |
|Cosmic Irony ||When actions contradict results. (fate of a situations, greater universe, god controls) |
|Convention || A method, technique or concept that is agreed upon by readers and authors. |
||When an audience knows more than characters. (the girls hair is on fire but she doesn’t know it yet) |
|Allegory ||A common example of a convention. A story that contains a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. (Three little pigs) |
|Allusion ||A reference to some meaning that exists outside of the text. |
|Aside ||In drama, a brief passage spoken only so the audience can hear it.
|Deus Ex Machina
||A phrase used to describe a situation where an outside force intervenes to resolve a human conflict. |
|Flashbacks ||Reliving a scene through a character's perspective. Helps readers understand more about characters motivations. |
|In media res ||a narrative device where the story begins in the "middle of things" to establish tension and attract readers attention|
|Satire ||A genre based on using humor to reveal human inconsistencies, weakness and contradictions. |
|Soliloquy ||A speech delivered by a character alone on stage.