Literary Elements Vocab Flashcards
Setting
Time and place of the action
Mood
General feeling the story conveys
Plot
Sequence of events in the story
Theme
Insight into life
Symbol
Object or a story element that stands for a larger meaning
Foreshadowing
Gives readers hints about what will happen later in the story
Exposition
Author introduces the setting and the characters
Rising action
Includes events and complications that intensify the conflict
Climax
Turning point in the story
Falling action
Sets up the story’s ending
Resolution/Denouement
Shows the outcome of the conflict
Internal conflict
Takes place in the mind of the character
External conflict
Takes place between a character and an outside force
Person vs. Self
A struggle within the mind of a character
Person vs. Person
A struggle between two characters
Person vs. Nature
A struggle between a character and a force of nature
Person vs. Fate
A struggle between a character and a god/gods or fate
Person vs. Society
A struggle between a character and societal norms or a cultural tradition
Person vs. Supernatural
A struggle between a character and something not entirely known or comprehensible
Person vs. Technology/Machine
A struggle between a character and a piece of technolgy
Characters
People or animals who take part in the action of the story
Protagonist
The main character in the story
Antagonist
The character who opposes the protagonist
Direct characterization
Narrator makes a direct statements about a character’s personality
Indirect characterization
Readers learn what characters are like by analyzing what they say and do as well as how other characters respond to them
Point of view
Narrative perspective
Third-person omniscient
Narrator is outside the events of the story and tells the thoughts and feelings of all characters
Third-person limited
Narrator is outside the story but tells the thoughts and feelings of only one character
First-person
Narrator is a character in the story and uses the pronouns I and me
