Week 7 Flashcards
Denouement, falling action, dialogue, and other terms used to discuss the ending of the play The Crucible.
Refers to a story’s final “untying” or resolution. Is always at the end, after the climax.
This is the final part of a story where the conflicts are resolved, and the story comes to a close. It follows the climax (the most intense point of the story) and shows what happens to the characters afterward. The ~~~ ties up loose ends and provides a sense of closure to the plot.
Example: In Cinderella, the ~~~ occurs after Cinderella tries on the glass slipper, the prince recognizes her as his true love, and they marry, living “happily ever after.” This final part shows the resolution of the main conflict (Cinderella’s mistreatment and search for love) and gives closure to the story.
The ~~~ helps readers understand the final outcomes and the characters’ fates.
denouement
A plot element that hints at something to happen later in the story. For example, if a character mentions offhandedly that bad things always happen to them in autumn, then the observant reader will be alert when the leaves in the story begin to fall. This “hinting” about what’s to come can be obvious or subtle, and when used effectively, it creates just enough anticipation or curiosity to keep the reader turning the pages.
It differs from“red herring” in that a red herringin storytelling is a hint placed deliberately to mislead the reader. You can find examples of red herrings in crime novels and TV shows. When a character is acting a little bittooguilty, they are probably a red herring.
It also differs from a “spoiler” in that this is meant to inflate suspense, not stamp it out. This literary technique hints at what will happen in the future, whereas a spoiler tells the reader explicitly what happens. With a spoiler, the reader has no surprises to look forward to.
Additionally, it differs from a “flash-forward” (the opposite of a flashback), which projects the reader into a future situation in the story. While this technique and flash-forwards deal with the future, a flash-forward explicitly describes what is happening, whereas this literary device merely hints at it.
This technique can be direct/overt, as in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, whose title directly tells the reader that there will be a murder on a train; or it can be indirect/covert – often so subtle that the reader doesn’t notice it untilafterthe event, thereby creating that light-bulb moment.
foreshadowing
Written conversation between characters in a literary work.
dialogue
The action that follows the climax in a story plot.
falling action
When a story or plotline ends suddenly or a large plot twist occurs and is left unresolved. It is a device that is used to cause suspense, but most importantly, it leaves unanswered questions that make the reader or viewer want to come back to learn what will happen.
cliffhanger
A conflict, problem, or situation with two possible solutions. When a ~~~ occurs, a person has to make the difficult choice between two desirable options, or, contrastingly, two undesirable options; it is a term used in logic and rhetoric when causing an opponent to choose between two unfavorable options.
Literature and other entertainment have given us many a superhero forced to save one person or a whole crowd; and many romantic scenarios where one character has to choose between two potential lovers. It is not uncommon for a character to be faced with choosing between two positive or two negative outcomes!
You’re probably already familiar with one of the most famous ~~~s in literature, which is the choice between life and death. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince Hamlet finds himself in a serious self-imposed ~~~, which he addresses with these memorable words:
To be or not to be-that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And, by opposing, end them.
(Definition retrieved and lightly modified from literaryterms.net)
dilemma
denouement
Refers to a story’s final “untying” or resolution. Is always at the end, after the climax.
This is the final part of a story where the conflicts are resolved, and the story comes to a close. It follows the climax (the most intense point of the story) and shows what happens to the characters afterward. The ~~~ ties up loose ends and provides a sense of closure to the plot.
Example: In Cinderella, the ~~~ occurs after Cinderella tries on the glass slipper, the prince recognizes her as his true love, and they marry, living “happily ever after.” This final part shows the resolution of the main conflict (Cinderella’s mistreatment and search for love) and gives closure to the story.
The ~~~ helps readers understand the final outcomes and the characters’ fates.
foreshadowing
A plot element that hints at something to happen later in the story. For example, if a character mentions offhandedly that bad things always happen to them in autumn, then the observant reader will be alert when the leaves in the story begin to fall. This “hinting” about what’s to come can be obvious or subtle, and when used effectively, it creates just enough anticipation or curiosity to keep the reader turning the pages.
It differs from“red herring” in that a red herringin storytelling is a hint placed deliberately to mislead the reader. You can find examples of red herrings in crime novels and TV shows. When a character is acting a little bittooguilty, they are probably a red herring.
It also differs from a “spoiler” in that this is meant to inflate suspense, not stamp it out. This literary technique hints at what will happen in the future, whereas a spoiler tells the reader explicitly what happens. With a spoiler, the reader has no surprises to look forward to.
Additionally, it differs from a “flash-forward” (the opposite of a flashback), which projects the reader into a future situation in the story. While this technique and flash-forwards deal with the future, a flash-forward explicitly describes what is happening, whereas this literary device merely hints at it.
This technique can be direct/overt, as in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, whose title directly tells the reader that there will be a murder on a train; or it can be indirect/covert – often so subtle that the reader doesn’t notice it untilafterthe event, thereby creating that light-bulb moment.
dialogue
Written conversation between characters in a literary work.
falling action
The action that follows the climax in a story plot.
cliffhanger
When a story or plotline ends suddenly or a large plot twist occurs and is left unresolved. It is a device that is used to cause suspense, but most importantly, it leaves unanswered questions that make the reader or viewer want to come back to learn what will happen.
dilemma
A conflict, problem, or situation with two possible solutions. When a ~~~ occurs, a person has to make the difficult choice between two desirable options, or, contrastingly, two undesirable options; it is a term used in logic and rhetoric when causing an opponent to choose between two unfavorable options.
Literature and other entertainment have given us many a superhero forced to save one person or a whole crowd; and many romantic scenarios where one character has to choose between two potential lovers. It is not uncommon for a character to be faced with choosing between two positive or two negative outcomes!
You’re probably already familiar with one of the most famous ~~~s in literature, which is the choice between life and death. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince Hamlet finds himself in a serious self-imposed ~~~, which he addresses with these memorable words:
To be or not to be-that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And, by opposing, end them.
(Definition retrieved and lightly modified from literaryterms.net)
