Antagonist
A person or a force in society or nature that opposes the protagonist
Aside
In a play, a comment that a character makes to the audience which other characters on stage do not hear
Author's purpose
An author's intent in writing a literary work
Character
An individual in a literary work
Conflict
A struggle between opposing forces in a story or drama
description
A detailed portrayal of a person, a place, an object or an event
dialect
A variation of a language spoken by a group of people, often with in a particular religion
diction
A writer's choice of words; an important element in the writers voice or style
direct characterization
The writer makes explicit statements about a character
Flashback
An interruption in the chronological order of a narrative to describe an event that happened earlier
Foil
a character who provides a contrast to another character usually a main character
Foreshadowing
An author's use of clues or hints to prepare readers for events that will happen later in a story
Imagery
Descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses
indirect characterization
the writer reveals a character's personality through what other character think and say about that character
Irony
contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality, or between what is expected and what actually happens
Monologue
A long speech or written expression of thoughts by a character in a literary work
Mood
the emotional quality of a literary work
Motivation
The states or implied reason a character acts, thinks, or feels a certain way
Personification
the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea is given human characteristics
Plot
the sequence of events in a narrative work
point of view
the perspective from which a story is told
Protagonist
Central character in a literary work around whom the main conflict revolves
Rhetorical devices
persuasive techniques used by public speakers and writers of literary works, especially those written to persuade
Setting
the time and place in which the events of a literary work occur
Soliloquy
A dramatic device in which a character, alone on stage
Symbol
any person, animal, place, object, or event that exists on a literal level within a work but also represents something on a figurative level
Theme
The main idea or message of a story, a poem, a novel, or a play sometimes expressed as a general statement about life
Tone
An author's attitude towards his or her subject matter
Tragedy
A play in which the main character or tragic hero, suffers a downfall as a result of a fatal character
voice
The distinctive use of language that conveys the author's or narrator's personality to the reader