Literary Devices Flashcards
Point of View
Refers to the author’s choice of a narrator for the story
Symbol
Suggests an abstract meaning in addition to a literal significance
First-Person Narration
Uses the pronoun I
Stereotype
Oversimplified judgement
Setting
The place and time of a story
Third-Person Narration
Uses pronouns he, she, and they
Climax
Emotional high point of the narration
Exposition
Gives background information early in the story
Rising Action
A series of relevant incidents that create suspense and help build tension in a narrative leading up to the climax
End Orientation
The outcome of the action or the conclusion of the plot
Plot
The sequence of events and their relations to one another
Falling Action
Events begin to wind down and point towards the conclusion or denouncement of the end of the story, which resolves the conflict to a greater or lesser degree
Characters
The people who are involved in what happens in a story
Foreshadowing
Hints that suggest the action to come
Protagonist
Central character
Antagonist
The character readers might think of as “the bad guy” or “foil”
Narrator
The voice that seems to be reading the story to the reader
Theme
A generalization about the meaning of a story
Imagery
Incorporates the five senses (visual/sight, aural/sound, and tactile/touch, smell, taste)
Irony
A state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result
