Fiction/Literary Terms Vocab Flashcards
Allegory
Plot, characters, and symbols that take on a meaning beyond the story itself
Ambiguity
A property of symbols and metaphors that allows them to have multiple interpretations
Archetype
The original pattern or model of a detail, image, or character which is frequently used in literature and myth
Allusion
A refereance to something in history or previous literature
Comparison
The identification of the similarities between people, places, ideas, or things
Conflict
The opposition of two forces in a story
Connotation
The implied or associative meaning of a word
Character
An individual (usually a person) in a narrative
Contrast
The identification of the differences between people, places, ideas, or things
Denouement
The final portion of a story in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are resolved
Denotation
The literal meaning of the word
Diction
Word choice
Exposition
The portion of a story in which necessary background information is provided
Figurative Language
Language that goes beyond the literal meaning of the word
Frame Story
A narrative providing the framework for connecting a series of otherwise unrelated stories; a story within a story
Fiction
Writing that has its basis in the imagination
Foreshadowing
Suggesting, hinting, indicating, or showing what will occur later in a story
Flashback
The interruption of the narrative to show or tell about an incident from the past
Fable
A brief story that leads to a moral, often using animals as characters
Imagery
The representation of sense expressions through language
Irony
The usage of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning
Juxtaposition
The placement of two elements side by side for the purpose of comparison
Narrator
The one who tells the story; may be 1st or 3rd person, limited or omniscient
Novel
An extended fictional prose narrative focusing on a main character and involving dozens of secondary characters
