A Person Or Force Which Opposes the Protagonist in a Literary Work

Literary Terms

Antagonist:

A person or force which opposes the protagonist in a literary work.

Climax:

The decisive moment in a literary work. A.K.A:the turning point of the story to which

the rising action leads.

Conflict:

In the plot, conflict occurs when the protagonist is opposed by some person or force.

Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Society & Man vs. Self.

Exposition

A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that provides necessary

background information about the characters and their circumstances.

Falling Action:

The series of events that take place afterthe climax.

Flashback:

A reference to an event which took place prior to the beginning of a story or play.

Foreshadowing:

A method of building suspense by providing hints and clues of what is to come.

Hyperbole:

A figure of speech in which an extreme overstatement or exaggeration occurs.

Imagery:

A word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one (1) or more of the

senses: Sight, Taste, Touch, Hearing & Smell. This helps to create pictures in the

reader’s mind.

Irony: Has many forms:

• Irony of Situation: the result of an action is the reverse (opposite)of what the actor expected.
• Verbal Irony: the contrast between the literal meaning of what is said and what is meant.
• Sarcasm: a form of verbal irony.

Metaphor:

Acomparison is made between two unlikequantitieswithout the use of the words “like”

or “as.”(i.e. Love is a river.)

Mood:

The atmosphere or feeling created by a literary work, partly by a description of the

objectsor by the style of the descriptions.. The feelings that thereader has.

mooD= reaDer

Personification:

A figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human characteristics. (i.e. The

leaves danced at my feet.)

Plot

The structure of a story. Thesequence in which the author arranges eventsin a story.

Plot often includes: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action & Resolution.

Point of View

The perspective of the speaker in a piece of literature. Can be in:

• First person: telling things from his/her own perspective.
• Third person: telling things from the perspective of an onlooker.

Protagonist

The central character (Main Character) of a literary work.

Resolution

The part of a story or drama which occurs after the climax and falling action; which

establishes a new norm, a new state of affairs ( the way things are going to be from then

on).

Rising Action

The series of events that lead to the climax of the story, usually the conflicts or struggles

of the protagonist (see definition above).

Setting

The time and place in which a story unfolds.

Simile

A figure of speech which takes the form of a comparison between two unlike quantities

for which a basis for comparison can be found, and which uses the words “like” or “as”

in the comparison. (i.e. I’m tall like a tree.)

Symbolism

A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

Theme

An ingredient of a literary work which gives the work unity. The theme provides an

answer to the question, What is the work about? (moral, lesson, message)

THEMEssage

Tone

Tone expresses the author’s attitude toward his or her subject.

Tone=auThor