Literary Terms Flashcards
Antagonist
a character or a group of characters which stand in opposition to the protagonist or the main character.
Connotation
a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly.
Flashback
interrupts that writers do to insert past events in order to provide background or context to the current events of a narrative. By using flashbacks, writers allow their readers to gain insight into a character’s motivation and provide a background to current conflict.
Foreshadowing
a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.
Inference
a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.
Mood
a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions. Mood is the atmosphere, sparking an emotional response from the reader. (Tone is controlled by the writer; mood is felt by the reader.)
Plot
the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. Consists of the exposition (beginning), inciting incident, conflict, rising action, climax, and the resolution (or denouement).
Point of View
The mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers “hear” and “see” what takes place in a story, poem, essay etc.
- First person point of view
involves the use of either of the two pronouns “I” and “we”
- Second person point of view
employs the pronoun “you.”
- Third person point of view
uses pronouns like “he,” “she,” “it,” “they,” or a name.
Protagonist
The central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story.
Style
the author’s own unique way of writing.
Symbol/Symbolism
an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant.
Theme
a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.
