Clarification: Book synopsis jargon
CHARACTER JOURNAL NOTES: each box needs 3-4 sentences of basic plot summary told from the perspective of the
main character. Include important details. For conflict development, be sure to include any external or internal conflicts
faced by the protagonist of the story.
Key terms:
Exposition – the introduction of a story – in the exposition, the author clues you in to setting elements and key characters.
There are usually clues to elements of the story that occurred before page 1.
Setting – The time and place of a story. An author doesn’t only create a plot, but establishes a frame in which that plot
takes place. The world of the characters goes beyond only what they immediately experience. It has its own history,
attitudes, and societal influences.
Conflict – struggle between opposing forces. You will have a clear protagonist for each of these works, and the conflict is
the struggles and opposition the protagonist faces.
Protagonist – the main character. To be more specific, the character that the book follows most closely and continuously,
and who is usually the driver of the action in the story
Antagonist – The character/characters most in conflict with the main character. Sometimes it is very clear who is most in
conflict with the main character, other times the society in which the character exists is what causes the conflict.
Main Conflict – in almost all cases, the main conflict is the protagonist against the antagonist. This developing conflict is
sometimes referred to as “rising action” which leads to a climax.
Root Cause of Conflict – The over-arching reason for the conflict. Look at the society’s attitudes and structure, something
from the character’s past or what may have “stacked the cards” against them.
Climax – the point at which the conflict reaches its peak (turning point), and immediately afterward shifts toward the
resolution of that conflict.
Resolution – Demonstrates how the main conflict has been solved. In most novels, the conflict that has built and reached a
climax has an ending that clearly shows that the conflict has ended, whether through the elimination of the antagonist
directly or a change in circumstance that resolves the conflict.
Literary elements – these elements include style elements such as imagery and figurative language, as well as plot
elements such as (but not only) symbolism, motif, foreshadowing, and irony
Author’s Purpose – related the “theme”, but not exactly. To discover the author’s purpose, you must suppose that the
author had an intention of teaching the reader a lesson through the story.
Historical Context – What influenced the writer to create this story? To establish Historical context, you must have an
understanding of the time that the author physically sat down and wrote the novel. For example, if the novel was written in
1963 and it features nuclear war, you could argue that the Cuban Missile Crisis and the tensions with Russia influenced the
writer.
DO YOUR BEST – MAKE AN HONEST EFFORT – SEEK HELP IF YOU NEED IT!