Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words. "Fetched fresh
Allusion
A reference to another literary work, myth, or work of art, in a short story
Antagonist
A character or force against which the protagonist struggles
Assonance
The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence or a line of poetry or prose, as in "I rose and told him of my woe
Characterization
The means by which writers present and reveal character
Climax
The turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story
Complication
An intensification of the conflict in a story or play
Conflict
A struggle between opposing forces in a story or play, usually resolved by the end of the work. It may occur within a character as well as between characters
Connotation
The implied meaning of a word
Denotation
The dictionary meaning of a word
Denouement
The resolution of the plot of a literary work. All the loose ends are tied up
Dialogue
The conversation of characters in a literary work
Dialect
Writing like we speak
Diction
The selection of words in a literary work
Exposition
The first stage of a story, in which necessary background information is provided
Falling Action
The action following the climax of the work that moves it towards its denouement or resolution
Fiction
An imagined story, whether in prose, poetry, or drama
Figurative Language
A form of language use in which writers and speakers convey something other than the literal meaning of their words. Examples include hyperbole, simile and metaphor
Flashback
The insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative
Foil
A character who contrasts the main character in a story.
Foreshadowing
Hints of what is to come in the action of a story
Hyperbole
A figure of speech involving exaggeration
Imagery
The things we can see, hear, taste, feel, or smell in a short story
Inciting Incident
The point in a plot which introduces the conflict and begins the rising action
Verbal Irony
When characters say the opposite of what they mean
Situational Irony
When the opposite of what is expected occurs
Dramatic Irony
When a character speaks in ignorance of a situation or event known to the audience or to the other characters
Metaphor
A comparison between essentially unlike things without an explicitly comparative word such as like or as. ex. "My love is a red, red rose,
Narrator
The voice and implied speaker of a fictional work, to be distinguished from the actual living author
Onomatopoeia
The use of words to imitate the sounds they describe
Parody
A humorous, mocking imitation of a literary work, sometimes sarcastic, but often playful and even respectful in its playful imitation
Personification
Giving human characteristics to nonhuman objects
Plot
The unified structure of a literary work
Point of View
The angle from which a story is narrated
Protagonist
The main character of a literary work
Recognition
The point at which a character understands what his or her situation as it really is
Reversal
The point at which the action of the plot turns in an unexpected direction for the protagonist
Rising Action
A set of conflicts and crises that make up a story's plot leading up to the climax
Satire
A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and makes fun of its stupidities
Setting
The time and place of a literary work
Simile
A figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using like, as, or as though. An example: "My love is like a red, red rose.
Style
The way an author chooses words, arranges them in sentences or in lines of dialogue or verse, and develops ideas and actions with description, imagery, and other literary techniques
Subplot
A parallel plot in a play or story that coexists with the main plot
Symbol
An object or action in a literary work that means more than itself, that stands for something beyond itself
Syntax
The grammatical order of words in a sentence
Theme
The main idea of a short story
Tone
The attitude of a writer toward the subject
Understatement
When a writer or speaker says less than what he or she means
Third Person Limited
Narrator is not a character, but sees the world through only one character's eyes and thoughts
Third Person Omniscient
Narrator knows everything about all the characters' thoughts and various situations
First Person
Point of view in which the narrator is a character or an observer
Static
A character who does not change
Dynamic
A character who changes
Internal Conflict
A struggle within a character
Flat Character
A character who is not very well developed; has few identifiable characteristics
Round Character
A character who is well developed by the author and who many characteristics