Plot & Setting Flashcards
Plot
A short story or novel consists of several basic events that form a whole narrative
Narrative
A story
Conflicts
The tension, opposition, or struggle that drives a plot. Usually happens between protagonists and the antagonist in a story
Exposition
In a literary work, contextual and background information told to readers (rather than shown through action) about the characters, plot, setting, and situation
Rising Action
The events, marked by increasing tension and conflict, that build up to a story’s climax
Climax
The point in a story when the conflict reaches it highest intensity
Suspense
A literary device that uses tension to make the plot more exciting; it is the effect created by artful delays and selective dissemination of information
Tragedy
A serious dramatic work in which the protagonist experiences a series of unfortunate reversal due to some character trait, referred to as a tragic flaw
Comedy
Usually used to refer to a dramatic work that, in contrast to tragedy, has a light, amusing plot, features a happy ending, center around ordinary people, and is written and performed in the vernacular
Falling Action
In a plot diagram, this is the result (or fallout) of the climax or turning point. In this phase, the conflict is being resolved
Denouement
Literally means “untying the knot” in this phase of a plot, the conflict has been resolved and balance is restored to the world of the story
Resolution
The working out of a plot’s conflicts, following the climax
in medias res
Means “in the middle of things,” a technique in which a narrative begins in the middle of a action
Flashbacks
A scene in a narrative that is set in an earlier time than the main action
Foreshadowing
A plot device in which future events are hinted at
