Literary Terms Flashcards
Setting
The time and place of the story
Exposition
The groundwork of the story that tells us the characters and setting
Rising action
Little peaks of interest that show us conflict and lead to the main event
Climax
The highest point of interest in the story
Falling action
The parts after the climax that work on settling the story
Resolution
The end that ties up all the parts of the story
Flashback
When a narrator refers to events or actions that took place in the past
Point of view
The angle at which the story is told
First person
When the narrator uses “I” when writing
Second person
When the narrator is speaking to the reader
Third person limited
The narrator only knows that thoughts and feelings of one person
Third person objective
When the narrator is watching what is going on but doesn’t know anyone’s feelings
Third person omniscient
When the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of everyone
Simile
A comparison made between two unlike things using “like” or “as”
Metaphor
A comparison made between two unlike things using “is” or “was”
Personification
Giving human like traits to inhuman things
Onomatopoeia
Sounds written into words
Moo
Pop
Crash
Person versus person
When people have struggles with other people
Person versus nature
When people have struggles with nature
Person versus society
When people have struggles with the society
Internal conflict
The struggle within oneself
External conflict
The struggle between man and another force
Characterization: Direct and Indirect
How the author describes the character’s looks and personality
Direct: tells the reader about the character
Indirect: shows things that reveal information about the character
Protagonist
The good guy
