Elements of literature Flashcards
Setting
The time and place of a story (where and when)
conflict
a problem in a story which triggers the action
internal conflict
the struggle occurring within a character’s mind
character vs. self
the character struggles with a decision or idea
external conflict
A struggle between a character and an outside force
character vs. character
One character has a problem with one or more other characters
character vs. nature
a character has trouble with some element of nature
character vs. society
a character has a problem with society
character
a person (or animal) in the story who speaks, thinks, and acts
protagonist
the main character in a literary work
antagonist
A character or force in conflict with the main character
Characterization
the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character
direct characterization
when an author directly states information about a character
indirect characterization
when the author shows things that reveal the character traits of a character
STEAL
What does the character say? How does the character speak?What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings? What is revealed through the character’s effect on other people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character? What does the character do? How does the character behave?What does the character look like? How does the character dress?
point of view
the perspective from which a story is told. It can be told from a narrator outside of the story or a character from in the story.
1st person POV
a character in the story narrates using the pronouns “I”, “me”, and “my.”
2nd person POV
a narrator tells the story directly addressing the audience using pronouns like “you” and “your”. This is NOT commonly used.
3rd person POV
means an outside narrator tells the story using 3rd person pronouns including “he” and “she”. There are two kinds:
Theme
a central message, concern, or purpose in a literary work
