Allusion An indirect reference to another literary work or to a famous person, place or event is an allusion. |
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Antagonist Usually, the antagonist is the main character in opposition to the protagonist.
If it helps, think of the prefixes in each word: ant- means "against" and pro- means "forward" |
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Character Characters take part in the action of a story or a novel. |
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Conflict The struggle between opposing forces is conflict, and is usually the basis for the plot since that's what holds the audience's interest.
An external conflict is one against an outside force, such as nature, a physical obstacle or another character. An internal conflict is one that occurs within the character.
There are a few basic types of conflict:
Man vs. Self
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Supernatural
Man vs. Machine |
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Flashback A conversation, an episode, or an event that happened before the beginning of a story is a flashback. Often, a flashback appears in the middle of a story to gives information that helps in understanding a character's current situation.
Have you heard of the phrase "show me, don't tell me"? Well, sometimes using past tense ends up "telling" a scene, but by using specific details in a flashback, you "show me" the scene. A true flashback sounds like someone is reliving the scene. For example:
FLASHBACK: As children played around him, the quiet smile on grandpa's lips told us he was lost in thought, recalling the summer times of his youth. He would awaken at the first sign of light, get dressed and creep outside quietly. It may have been summer, but he still had chores on the farm: feeding the chickens, sweeping the coup, and picking the ripe berries to serve with breakfast. If he finished everything quickly, that meant he would be allowed to run to his friends' houses to play stickball and search for tadpoles in the creek.
NOT Flashback: One time, grandpa told us about how he lived on a farm when he was little. He had some chores, but when he finished, he got to play. His favorite games were stickball and catching tadpoles in the creek. It was special when my grandpa told me about his childhood. |
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Foreshadowing A writer's use of hints to indicate events and situations that will occur later in the plot helps to create suspense, and is called foreshadowing. |
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Imagery Descriptive words and phrases create sensory experiences images in the readers' minds. Authors use imagery to "show" the audience scenes or characters with vivid details. |
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Irony A special kind of contrast between appearance and reality – usually one in which reality is opposite from what it seems - is irony.
There are three main types of irony: verbal, situational and dramatic.
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Verbal Irony includes sarcasm:
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Situational Irony results when something unexpected happens:
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Dramatic Irony is present when the audience knows an important detail, and remains in suspense as they wait for the detail to be revealed to the character:
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| That song's message was about as subtle as a punch in the face.
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When John Hinckey attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, all of his shots initially missed the President; however a bullet ricocheted off the bullet-proof windows of the Presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest. Thus, the windows made to protect the President from gunfire were partially responsible for his being shot. (Wikipedia)
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In a mystery movie or novel, the audience might know the criminal before the character discovers the truth.
In a love story, the audience could see that two people truly in love are too shy to speak to each other. The suspense results as the audience waits to see if they will ever get together.
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| "I told you a hundred times, I'm not mad at you!!"
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Stores by O'Henry are famous for irony. In The Gift of the Magi, a poor woman sells her long hair on Christmas Eve to buy a gift for her husband. He arrives home and reacts strangely when he sees her. Then they exchange gifts: she bought a chain for his pocket watch, and he bought a set of jeweled combs for her long hair - with money raised by selling his watch.
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In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet is faking death, and waits to see what happens when Romeo finds her.
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In the long, storied history of Fourth-Place Medal's Investigative Unit (founded: Monday), one question has been asked by our readers more than any other. Today, on our five-day anniversary, we will attempt to tackle the biggest Olympic mystery of the Beijing Games: what is Michael Phelps listening to on his iPod?
(by Chris Chase, Yahoo Sports 8-15-08)
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Check out this ad for a community college, which ironically contains two written errors: 
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In films like "While You Were Sleeping" or "Mrs. Doubtfire", a false identity becomes a dramatic irony. Since we know who they really are, entertainment comes from watching the reactions of other people, and suspense builds as we wait to see how their secret will be discovered.
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Main Character(s) Events in a story center around the lives of main characters. |
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Metaphor A comparison of two things - without using the words like or as - is a metaphor.
EXAMPLES of metaphor
| You are my sunshine.
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| A wire is a road for electrons.
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| Example from the TV series House: "Saying there appears to be some clotting is like saying there's a traffic jam ahead. Is it a ten-car pile up, or just a really slow bus in the center lane? And if it is a bus, is that bus thrombotic or embolic? I think I pushed the metaphor too far." (episode "Euphoria, Part 1")
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"Words are bullets, and should be used sparingly, aimed toward a target."
(Army Colonel Dick Hallock)
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| "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players..." (Shakespeare)
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Minor Character(s) Minor characters interact with main characters and help move the story along. |
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Onomatopoeia When authors use words whose pronunciations suggest their meaning, such as pow, bang, crunch, they are using the literary device onomatopoeia. |
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Personification A figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object, animal or idea is personification.
| My internet connection died, then the whole computer crashed.
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"Oreo: Milk’s favorite cookie."
(slogan on a package of Oreo cookies)
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| The volcano angrily spewed fire and hot ash into the sky.
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| Lions are the king of the jungle.
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"Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no one there."
(English proverb quoted by Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos)
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Plot The sequence of events in a story is the plot. Generally built around a conflict, the plot tells what happens, when and to whom. |
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Plotline We discuss plotline as having 5 major characteristics (or parts):
* Exposition: The necessary info that introduces the setting, characters, etc.
* Rising Action: The action that develops and leads to the climax, including conflict
* Climax: The moment when the reader's interest and emotional intensity is at its highest points – usually occurs toward the end of the story
* Falling Action: The info that follows the climax, leading to the resolution
* Resolution (Denouement): The end of the story, wrapping it up with any loose ends, and possible lessons learned |
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Protagonist The central character or hero in a narrative or drama, usually the one with whom the audience identifies, is a protagonist. |
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Setting The time and place of action of a story is its setting. |
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Simile When a writer compares things using the words like or as, it is a simile.
EXAMPLES (from an online collection, Anonymous):
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Comparisons using LIKE:
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Comparisons using AS:
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| He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
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He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
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| Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
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Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
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Symbols A person, place, activity or object that stands for something beyond itself is a symbol.
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Tone The attitude a writer takes toward a subject is reflected in the words used. Those words work to set the tone of a piece. |
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