Literary Terminology

1. Literary Terminology

2. Plot • The way a story unfolds. • What happens in a story.

3. The beginning of the story where the characters are introduced. Introduction

4. Setting When and where a story takes place

5. Theme • The underlying meaning of the story.

6. Character • The person or people who exist within a novel. • Often time characters are named either to describe something about themselves or to describe the opposite. • i.e. AgustusGloomp, Veruica Salt, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, anyone from the show “Lost”.

7. Characters Protagonist Antagonist The character in direct oppostion to the protagonist. The antagonist does not have to be the “bad guy”, just the character who opposes the protagonist. • The main character in any story. • The protagonist does not have to be the “good guy”, just who the action centers around. • Some have argued that the reason Star Wars:Episode I was not as good was because it lacked a true protagonist. Thoughts?

8. Flat Character • A character with a lack of depth • Flat characters do not change • Often found in short stories • Examples of flat characters include Augustus Gloomp, Violet Beauregard, Veruca Salt, Mike Teevee, the Comic Book guy, Superman (old school).

9. Round character • A character with depth that is capable of change. • The reader sees multiple sides of a round character. • Examples of round characters include: Charlie Bucket, Batman/Bruce Wayne, Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Homer Simpson.

10. Conflict • The main problem within the story. There are five types of conflicts within literature:

11. Man vs. Man • This is when the protagonist is in opposition with another person. • Examples include: The Most Dangerous Game, Tombstone, and of course The Lord of the Flies.

12. Man vs. Self • This is when the protagonist faces an internal struggle. • Examples include: Flowers for Algernon, The Matrix, and of course Episodes III and VI of Star Wars.

13. Man vs. God or Deity • This is when the protagonist is in opposition to a god, or any incredibly powerful creature. • Examples include almost all stories from Greek mythology, The Devil’s Advocate,The Devil and Daniel Webster, and Percy Jackson.

14. Man vs. Nature • This is when the protagonist is pitted against nature or something that nature has created. • Examples include: The Hatchet, Call of the Wild, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jurassic Park, and Shelly’s classic Frankenstein.

15. Man vs. Society • When the protagonist finds himself or herself in opposition to society as a whole • Examples include 1984, Fahrenheit 451and Flowers for Algernon

16. Climax • The emotional high point of a story. • When the conflict comes to a head.

18. Generally the resolving of the conflict in one way or another Resolution

19. How the story is told • There are four main points of view: Point-of-view

20. First person point-of-view is told from inside of the story. • Pronouns such as “I”, “we”, “my” are used. • Can lead to an unreliable narrator. 1st person

21. Third person point-of-view is told from outside of the story. • Pronouns such as “he”, “she”, “they”, “them” are used 3rd person

22. Third person limited point-of-view is told from outside of the story, but the narrator knows the thoughts of one character. 3rd person limited

23. 3rd person omniscient point-of-view is told from outside of the story, but the narrator knows all. The narrator knows the thoughts of all of the characters. 3rd person omniscient

24. Foreshadowing The hinting of future events

25. This occurs when the audience or reader knows more than the characters know. Dramatic Irony

26. This refers to a happening that is the opposite of what is expected or intended. Situational Irony

27. Verbal Irony • The contrast between what is said and what is actually meant.

29. Allusion A reference to an outside work of art or literature within another work of literature. Much of English literature contains allusions to the Bible, Shakespeare or Greek mythology. What three works does The Matrix have allusions to?

30. Greek mythology • Morpheus is the name of the Greek God of dreams. The Oracle is also found in Greek mythology.

31. The Bible • The names Nebuchadnezzar, Trinity, and Zion all come from the Bible.

32. Alice in Wonderland • References to “follow the white rabbit” and the rabbit hole. • Neo goes into the looking glass • The checkerboard floor

33. Symbol • Something that stands for or represents something else. • Neo is a symbol of Christ in The Matrix. • The River is a symbol of freedom in The Adventures of Huck Finn. • Aslan is a symbol of Christ in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. • Superman is a symbol of Christ in Man of Steel

34. Literally means “In the midst of things” • The technique when a story starts in the middle of the action, then goes back later to introduce characters. In media res

35. Deus ex Machina • Literally means “God from the machine” • Now applied to a situation in which a hero has seemingly no escape, but something happens (usually out of the ordinary) to allow the hero to escape or emerge victorious. • deus ex machina

37. Onomatopoeia • A word that makes a sound by way it is spelled.

38. A word that makes a sound by way it is spelled. • Examples: Bam, Whack, Shazaam!

39. Figurative Language • writing or speech not to be interpreted literally. • Alliteration • Simile • Metaphor • Personification • Hyperbole • Idioms • Oxymoron

40. Alliteration • The repetition of alike sounds • He Strode in a swarm of fireflies • V

41. Simile • A comparison of two or more objects using “like” or “as” • “Drop it like its hot” –Snoop Dogg • “Like a sprained ankle, boy I ain’t nothing to play with.” -Drizzy

42. Metaphor • A comparison of two or more objects • The metaphor does not use like or as • “I am Legend” – Richard Matheson • “At this very moment I’m king, at this very moment I slay Goliath with the sling.” -Nicki Minaj

45. Hyperbole An exaggeration. Ex. "I nearly died laughing“, "I was hopping mad," "I tried a thousand times."

46. Idioms • A common phrase that doesn’t mean what it says. • idioms

47. Oxymoron • When you have two terms that normally conflict, but together make a statement.

48. Mood • The feeling that the reader gets from a literary work.

49. Tone • The author’s attitude (often implied by his/her use of language) toward the subject or toward the reader. • Tone generally creates mood.

50. Myth • a fictitious tale that explains the actions of the gods or the causes of natural phenomena.