Literary ElementsLiterary ElementsLiterary ElementsLiterary Elements

Allusion• The reference to a well-known

work of literature, famous person or historical event.

Antagonist• The person of thing working

against the protagonist

Characterization• The method an author uses to

reveal characters and their personalities.

Static Character• One whose personality and values

don’t change in the story

Dynamic Character• One whose personality and values

do change in the story.

Round Character• One who has many dimensions to

his/her personality

Flat Character• A stereotyped character (dumb

blonde, school nerd, etc)• One personality trait

Direct Characterization• The author directly tells about the

character.

Indirect Characterization

• The character is revealed through his/her actions, dialogue, or what others says about him/her

Conflict• The problem or struggle in the

story between the antagonist and the protagonist. It triggers the action in the story

• Man vs man, man vs society, man vs self, man vs nature, man vs supernatural, man vs fate/destiny

Climax• Usually the most intense point in a

story. It is the moment the conflict is resolved

Figurative Language• Language that interprets ideas

beyond the ordinary, literal (real) meaning.

Figurative Language Examples

• Simile – comparison using like or as of two unlike things

• Metaphor – a comparison not using like or as of two unlike things

• Personification – giving human qualities to nonhuman things

Flashback• Returning to an earlier time for the

purpose of making something more clear

Foreshadowing• Giving hints or clues of what is to

come later in the story

Hyperbole• An exaggerated statement

Imagery• Descriptive words or phrases that

create sensory experiences (appealing to the five senses) for the reader.

Irony• Situational – when there is a

contradiction between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. Sometimes the contradiction is an unlikely coincidence.

More Irony• Dramatic – when the reader or the

audience sees a character’s mistakes but the character does not.

• Verbal – when the writer says one thing and means another

Mood• The feeling a text arouses in the

reader: happiness, peacefulness, sadness, gloom, fear, frustration, humor

Plot• The sequence of events in a story

which include an exposition (introduction), rising action, climax, falling action, resolution

Point of View• The Vantage point from which a

story is being told.

1st Person Point of View• the teller of the story is in the

story – uses I, me

3rd Person Point of View• the teller of the story is not in the

story – uses he, she, they– Omniscient – all knowing, the narrator

knows more about the characters and events than any one character can know

– Limited – the narrator tells only the thoughts and feelings of one character

Protagonist• The main character in a story. It is

the character whose story the reader follows.

Repetition• Using the same word or phrase

more than once for impact and effect.

Rhyme Scheme• The pattern of end rhyme in a

poem which can be charted as a, b, c etc.

Setting• The time and place of the story• Includes time of day, year, season,

etc.

Sarcasm• The use of praise to mock

someone or something

Satire• Making fun of human vice or

weakness often using humor, sarcasm, or exaggeration in an attempt to change the weakness

Speaker• The narrator of poetry

Stanza• A grouping of lines that form a unit

of poetry• A stanza is to a poem like a

paragraph is to an essay

Sound Devices• Alliteration – the repetition of the

same consonant sound at the beginning of a word.

• Example: The big, beefy bull.

Sound Devices• Assonances – The repetition of the

same vowel sounds.• Example: The scattering of crabs.

Sound Devices• Consonances – the repetition of

the same consonant sounds within the word.

• Example: The little battle

Sound Devices• Rhyme – the repetition of the

same sounds at the ends of words.• Example: The cat in the hat.

Symbolism• A person, place, thing, or event in

a story used to represent something else.

Theme• A statement of message about life

that the author is trying to teach the reader. When writing the theme, don’t refer to characters in the story.

Tone• The overall feeling or attitude of

the writer about his/her subject. It is the writer’s voice.