First 1-16 Flashcards
Plot
The sequence of related events that make up a story
Basic situation (Exposition)
The part of the story that introduces the characters and the conflicts they face
Plot devices
Techniques an author uses to make a story interesting and move along
Complications
Problems that arise during a story that keep a character from getting what he or she wants
Climax
The story’s most exciting or suspenseful moment, when something happens that decides the outcome of the conflict
Resolution (Denouement)
The last part of the plot, where the conflict is resolved and the story ends
Conflict
A struggle between a character and some force
External conflict
A struggle between a character and something outside himself or herself
Internal conflict
A struggle between a character and himself or herself
Chronological order
The arrangement of details in time order; that is, the order in which they happened
Flashback
Scene in a piece of literature that interrupts the present action of the plot to show events that happened at an earlier time
Foreshadowing
The use of clues to hint at what is going to happen later in the plot
Suspense
The quality in a story or play that makes the reader eager to discover what will happen next or how the story will end
Setting
The time and place In which a story unfolds
Direct characterization
When an author tells us directly what a chapter is like
