NAME: ______Period: ______
Ms. DeJesus ENGLISH
LITERARY ELEMENTS
IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS:
1. genre – type, category, branch or extension of (in this case) English Literature.
2. prose – everyday written or spoken language. NOT POETRY.
3. verse – POETRY. Writing that has a rhyme or rhyme scheme. It also refers to one line of poetry.
4. narrate – to tell
5. narrator – the person telling the story.
6. narrative – a fancy word for a story.
7. fictional – fake, made up, not real, did not really occur. (e.g. novel, short story)
8. nonfiction – real, factual, did really occur. (e.g. autobiography or biography)
TYPES OF GENRES:
9. short story – a short fictional narrative in prose.
10. novel – a long fictional narrative in prose.
11. drama – another word for a play. Plays can be written in either verse or prose: written specifically to be acted out on stage. There are 2 main types:
a. tragedy – a serious play that has a plot involving misery, loss of moral dignity, great sorrow, and suffering.
b. comedy – a humorous play that ends happily; a literary work that has an amusing plot.
12. poetry – a patterned form of verbal or written expression of ideas written in rhythmical terms, not necessarily rhyming.
ELEMENTS:
13. plot – series of events that present and resolve a conflict. It consists of 3 parts: conflict, climax, & conclusion (in that order!!!). Know this diagram:
CLIMAX
Rising action Plot Falling action
CONFLICT CONCLUSION
14. conflict – the problem or dilemma that needs resolving. There are 2 types:
a. internal conflict – the problem or dilemma exists within the character.
b. external conflict – the problem or dilemma exists with the outside world.
15. climax – the turning point in the story where the conflict begins to be resolved. The resolution to the conflict begins to unfold.
16. conclusion – how the story ends. Keep in mind that there is a conclusion to every story, but not necessarily a resolution (problem solved). Another fancy word for conclusion is denouement.
17. setting – where and when he story takes place. Helps create the atmosphere/mood of the story.
18. characterization – a technique that creates and reveals the physical appearance & personality of the characters.
19. theme – the main idea of the story or the underlying message the reader is supposed to come away with. It can either be openly stated or implied in the story. There may be more than one theme or none at all.
20. mood – atmosphere and feeling created by the setting and description.
21. tone – attitude of writer toward what is being discussed.
22. irony – contrast between what is said and what is meant. There are 3 types:
a. verbal irony – sarcasm
b. dramatic irony – reader is aware of something that the other character(s) in the story is (are) not.
c. irony of situation – when a situation in a story ends up contrary to what was expected.
23. symbolism – when something concrete (object) represents something abstract (idea, concept, condition). One can touch, feel, or throw something concrete (ball). One cannot even see something abstract (death, kindness, etc.).
24. foreshadowing – a technique that provides a hint or clues of what is to come. It deals with the future.
25. flashback – an interruption that informs the reader of a past episode or occurrence. It deals with the past.
26. simile – comparison between two things USING the word like or as.
27. metaphor – a comparison between two things NOT USING the word like or as.
28. analogy – a comparison between two things more different than the same, but with the same underlying message or idea.______Test #1 stops here
29. personification – giving human characteristics to something non-living.
30. imagery – when something is described so vividly that one can form a mental image that appeals to the 5 senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing).
31. inference – an assumption or implication drawn from limited details.
32. epiphany – a moment of sudden illumination that changes a person’s life. A life altering revelation or realization.
33. exposition – the part of a story where one is introduced to the characters and the setting.
34. selective language (a.k.a. style) – The manner in which the author uses words, sentences, and literary elements to communicate his/her ideas.
35. denotation – the dictionary or literal meaning of a word.
36. connotation – the figurative meaning of a word.
37. figurative language – the use of words outside their literal meaning.
PERSON:
38. point of view – from whose mouth we hear the story from or from whose eyes we see the story through. The author’s choice of narrator. There are 3 types:
a. FIRST person – speaker. The narrator IS INCLUDED in the story. (Key words: I, my, we, our, ours, etc.)
1. pro – 1st hand experience
2. con – only 1 point of view, biased, one-sided.
b. SECOND person – spoken to. NEVER USED because it is hard to distinguish it. In this case the narrator is speaking directly to you. Just know it exists.
c. THIRD person – spoken about. The narrator is NOT INCLUDED in the story. (Key words: they, them, their, he, she, his, her, etc.) There are 3 types:
1. pro – unbiased, not one-sided (omniscient/limited omn.)
2. con – no 1st hand experience. The validity of the story is questionable.
THREE TYPES of 3rd person:
a. 3rd person Objective – narrator informs us of what the characters do and say. We are not informed of what goes on in their minds.
b. 3rd person Omniscient – we are all-knowing about the actions, thoughts, and feelings of ALL the characters. We know everyone’s thoughts and feelings (omniscience = God).
c. 3rd person Limited Omniscient – we are limited to being all-knowing about the actions, thoughts, and feelings of only ONE character. We are aware of only that one characters thoughts and feelings.
ADDITIONAL Elements:
39. Types of Fiction:
a. Folktale – a fiction told for the purpose of entertainment.
b. Myth – a fiction with the intent to explain a natural phenomenon.
c. Legend – a fiction that has historical basis.
40. Deus ex machina – (a Latin phrase) when a character or event (not previously expected) shows up to resolve the conflict in a literary work.
KNOW THESE LIKE THE BACK OF YOUR HAND. TRUST ME!