Literary Terms

fiction

a writing written in prose that is basically made up

nonfiction

writing that is based on facts (ex. biography, autobiography, diaries, speeches, editorials, interviews, etc.)

genre

classification of literature (ex. historical fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)

biography

story of a person's life written by another person

autobiography

An account of a person's life written by that person

Narrative

a kind of writing that tells what happens, used by story tellers

Protagonist

Main character in a story

Antagonist

A character or force in conflict with the main character

list types of conflicts

man vs. man - man vs. society - man vs. nature - man vs. himself - man vs. nature - man vs. supernatural

Setting

The time and place of a story

Resolution

when the conflict is resolved

point of view

the perspective from which a story is told

author's purpose

the reason an author decides to write about a specific topic

theme

the main message of a story

Characterization

the act of creating and developing a character

Plot

Sequence of events in a story

simile

A comparison using 2 unlike things use the words "like" or "as

metaphor

A comparison using 2 unlike the things without using like or as

Foreshadowing

the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Symbolism

When an object or idea represents something beyond its self