Narrative Another word for “story” Alice in Wonderland is a classic one that most people have heard Theme The universal concept or idea that the author is trying to express In Romeo and Juliet, this is definitely “true love” Plot The basic course of action —what happens— in a story In “Winter Dog,” this is the boy’s journey, from home, to the ice, falling in, getting out, getting home, and so on Setting Where and when the story takes place In “The Lottery,” this is a small country town in the 20th century Characters The people, animals, or other beings that have specific roles In Macbeth, some of these are Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Duncan, Banquo, the Wyrd Sisters, etc. Protagonist The main character in a story, sometimes a hero, but not always In The Outsiders this is Ponyboy Antagonist The character who opposes the protagonist —often a bad one In Lord of the Flies this is Ralph Exposition The part of the story where things are introduced and the stage is set In “Winter Dog” this is the beginning, which describes a snowy street and children playing Inciting Incident An event that changes the protagonist, usually initiating a journey or some rising action In Macbeth, this is where Macbeth meets the witches and hears about his future as king Climax The very pinnacle or high point of the action, the most intense event In Romeo and Juliet, this is where Romeo and Juliet commit suicide Resolution The solution to the problems presented in the narrative, the part where conflict is resolved In Lord of the Files this is where adults arrive on the island and the boys are saved Conflict The struggle between competing characters or elements, can be internal or external In the TV show “Lost” this is between the castaways and “the others”, nature, and themselves The outlook of a story told by a person in the story, using “I…” “The Bully” is told from this vantage or outlook The outlook of a story told as if it was happening to the reader, normally characterized by “you…” “Choose your own adventure” books were told from this vantage or outlook 3 person point of view The outlook of a story told by someone outside, using “he/she” Most stories are written from this vantage or outlook, such as “The Lottery” or Lord of the Flies Allusion A brief reference to another work of literature or a historical event Many poets often refer to Greek mythology to strengthen images Ambiguity A statement that can be interpreted in more than one way “You will have to take this test biannually, so get used to it” Anecdote Told by a character in a story, this is a small story within a story In The Green Mile, John Coffey (Michael C. Duncan) tells Paul (Tom Hanks) the story of his arrest
1st person point of view nd
2 person point of view rd
Archetype Similar to a stereotype, it is a generic, idealized model of a person, object or concept Neo from The Matrix is one, as he represents a common god‐like, conflicted, but powerful hero Assonance Repetition of vowel sounds in two or more words close together “How often did the crowd frown?”
Atmosphere Like the mood, this is the general feel of the story or poem In Lord of the Flies, this transforms from peaceful and Eden‐like to chaotic and unruly Autobiography A narrative or essay, usually one’s “life story,” written about a person by that same person My Years a Prime Minister is one by Jean Chretien, recounting in his own words his days as PM Biography The story of someone’s life, written by a different person Citizen of the World is one about the life of Pierre Elliot Trudeau, written by John English Catastrophe In a tragedy, this usually involves the main character dying Where Romeo commits suicide, followed soon after by Juliet in Romeo and Juliet Comedy A narrative or play which is usually funny and ends happily Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing was one of these, and had audiences laughing hysterically Connotation The meaning of a word that considers emotion and/or context and/or popular culture “Mr. MacDonald is cool” means he’s a good guy, not that he is actually cold! Dialect A variation of a language, usually only understood by the group that speaks it In Newfoundland, some say, “What’re ya after eatin’?” instead of “What do you want to eat?” Dialogue Conversation that happens between two or more characters Apart from soliloquies and asides, Shakespeare’s plays are delivered mainly as this Diction The vocabulary or types of words used by the author Children’s stories use a different type, with shorter and simpler vocabulary than Adult novels Dilemma A choice between two undesirable things or pathways In Saw, the captive had to choose between sawing off his own foot, or having his family perish Empathy Personally and deeply identifying with the feelings of a character “I understand your position, and I feel your sadness” Epiphany A moment of sudden clarity or significant realization Greek scholar Archimedes shouted “Eureka!” when he had one about volume & displacement Epigraph A phrase, quote, or poem at the beginning of a book or chapter Andre Alexis begins his story, “The Road to Santiago de Compostela,” with a quote from bp Nichol Epithet A word or phrase added to a person’s name, describing him/her Know‐it‐all‐Paul Fiction A narrative that is made‐up or imaginary Elf is this kind of story because it didn’t actually happen Flashback A short and sudden journey back into the past of a character In the movie, The Machinist, Trevor (Christian Bale) relives disturbing scenes from an accident
Foreshadowing Clues or hints about what is coming in a narrative In “The Lottery,” young boys are seen putting stones in their pockets from the very beginning Genre A certain class, form, or type of literature, such as horror or drama Shakespeare wrote his plays in all three: Drama, Comedy, Tragedy Hero/Heroine A protagonist who fits the ideals of a courageous, virtuous individual Sir Lancelot, the knight, is a very a brave and courageous one of these in most King Arthur stories Imagery A grouping of words that describes vividly and evokes an image “these pastoral farms / Green to the very door; and wreaths of smoke / Sent up, in silence, from among the trees!” Verbal Irony A form of sarcasm, stating almost the opposite of what is meant Your date shows up in ripped jeans and a dirty t‐shirt for Prom, and you say, “You look GREAT!” Dramatic Irony When a character believes or says something we know is not true In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo finds Juliet “dead” and decides to kill himself; she then wakes up