Literary Elements Flashcards
Identify literary elements in various texts.
The sequence of events (opening, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution) in a work of fiction or drama.
Plot
The building blocks (parts) of literature found in written or oral stories. They must be present in a fictional story in order for it to be called a story.
Literary Elements
The narrator is a character in the story and is telling the story. Look for the pronoun “I.”
Example:
I heard the monster’s growl from deep in the woods.
First-Person Point of View
This narrator relates the events of the story using the pronouns, “he,” “she,” and “it.” The author sticks closely to one character but only has access to one character’s perspective at a time.
Example:
Bran’s father sat solemnly on his horse, long brown hair stirring in the wind. His closely trimmed beard was shot with white, making him look older than his thirty-five years. He had a grim cast to his grey eyes this day, and he seemed not at all the man who would sit before the fire in the evening and talk softly of the age of heroes and the children of the forest. He had taken off Father’s face, Bran thought, and donned the face of Lord Stark of Winterfell.
Example 2:
It was a dark and stormy night.
In her attic bedroom Margaret Murry, wrapped in an old patchwork quilt, sat on the foot of her bed and watched the trees tossing in the frenzied lashing of the wind. Behind the trees clouds scudded frantically across the sky. Every few moments the moon ripped through them, creating wraith-like shadows that raced along the ground.
The house shook.
Wrapped in her quilt, Meg shook.
Third-Person Limited Point of View
The narrator, with godlike knowledge, presents the thoughts and actions of any or all characters. This all-knowing narrator can reveal what each character feels and thinks at any given moment.
Example:
There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart’s Desire.
And while that is, as beginnings go, not entirely novel (for every tale about every young man there ever was or will be could start in a similar manner) there was much about this young man and what happened to him that was unusual, although even he never knew the whole of it.
The tale started, as many tales have started, in Wall.
Example 2:
A woman sat in a hotel bar, watching the door. Her appearance was neat and tidy: white blouse, fair hair tucked behind her ears. She glanced at the screen of her phone, on which was displayed a messaging interface, and then looked back at the door again. It was late March, the bar was quiet, and outside the window to her right the sun was beginning to set over the Atlantic. It was four minutes past seven, and then five, six minutes past. Briefly and with no perceptible interest she examined her fingernails. At eight minutes past seven, a man entered through the door. He was slight and dark-haired, with a narrow face. He looked around, scanning the faces of the other patrons, and then took his phone out and checked the screen. The woman at the window noticed him but, beyond watching him, made no additional effort to catch his attention. They appeared to be about the same age, in their late twenties or early thirties. She let him stand there until he saw her and came over.
Third-Person Omniscient Pointn of View
The reader is never allowed into any of the characters’ minds, nor given any of their feelings or emotions. The reader has to judge what the character is thinking or feeling by what they say, what they do, and their facial expressions - much like real life.
Example: (only dialogue and action shown)
When the sun set, James looked at Sally. “I should go home,” he said.
“Alright.” She did not even look at him.
Example 2:
The man glanced over his shoulder, then quickly entered information into the ATM. He was sweating profusely and his hands were shaking.
The security guard at the door looked his way.
Third-Person Objective Point of View
In fiction, this is the view about life and how people behave. It is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at all. You figure it out from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure out what it means yourself. Authors tend to use abstract nouns as the subjects of this concept.
Theme
Some extra notes: The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching.
This is a meaningful pattern in art and literature. When you see an image, type of character, or symbol pop up again and again, chances are you’re dealing with this. It hints at theme.
Motif
Where a story happens that include:
-the geographical location, from an entire country to one single room.
-the time or period in which the action takes place whether an era in history, a season of the year, or even the time of day.
-the general environment of the characters: religious, mental, moral, social, and emotional conditions.
Setting
This refers to the attitude an author or the speaker displays toward her subject or audience. We use adjectives to describe it. It influences theme but it is not the main idea.
Examples:
Cheerful
I can’t wait to get to the party!
Pessimistic
This party is going to be a disaster.
Hopeful
This party could change everything for me.
Tone
The feeling that is evoked from the reader. After reading a text did you feel hopeful? Depressed? Anxious? Curious? Adventurous? Use the emotion wheel to help determine it.
Mood
This is a change in the author’s style, focus, or language that alters the meaning of a text.
Tonal shift or Shift
Comments made by characters that define themselves or other characters.
Examples:
An author can explicitly tell the reader what a character is like, such as “Sally was a teacher who had brown hair, three children, and a favorite hobby.”
“Superman as The Man of Steel” or “Voldemort as He Who Must Not Be Named.”
“She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression.”
Direct characterization
The author develops the character through physical description; the character’s own actions, words, thoughts, and feelings; or the actions, words, thoughts, and feelings of other characters about that character.
Examples:
Thoughts: A character’s thoughts or feelings can reveal something about them.
Effect: A character’s effect on others can say something about them.
Appearance: A character’s appearance can provide hints about their inner psyche. For example, chewed nails and wild eyes might suggest stress or panic.
Indirect characterization
The main character (good or bad). Often the most complex—sometimes kind, sometimes loathsome, always engaging.
Protagonist
