Elements of Literature

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allegory direct characterization inference prose
allusion dynamic character irony protagonist
ambiguity exposition lead literal language rationale
analogy extended definition major character reason
anecdote fable metaphor repetition
antagonist falling action minor character resolution
archetype fiction monologue rising action
atmosphere figurative language mood round character
caricature flashback moral sensory language
characters flat character motivation sequence
character development foil narrative setting
character map foreshadowing narrator simile
character traits Freytag’s Pyramid nonfiction static character
characterization generalization parable story
chronological order

genre

personification surprise ending
climax

hero OR heroine

 perspective suspense
conflict hook hubris plot symbolism
descriptive detail hyperbole poetic justice theme
dialect imagery point of view tone
dialogue indirect characterization prediction villain

 

Exposition – When a narrator or character reveals or explains the situation of the plot with a summary; often occurs during  dialogue, when one character asks another to explain what’s happening, or at the very beginning of a story, when the narrator tells us what’s been going on (“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”)

 

Foreshadowing – An event/item in a story that seems irrelevant or doesn’t seem to make sense, but at the end, turns out to have been a clue about how the story ends.  When done well, provides an "Ah ha!" moment for the reader

 

Allusion – a reference in a work of literature to something that is presumably well-known by the audience; usually referes to a person, place, or thing in another work, such as literature, art, music, history, painting, mythology

 

Ambiguity or ambiguousness - When something in a story is purposefully left unclear by the author in order to either make the audience figure it out on their own, or in order to maintain a mystery

 

Sensory Language/Imagery/Descriptive Details – words specifically chosen to appeal to your senses, allowing you to experience as fully as possible what the writer is relating.  Usually, sensory language is description using more than two of the five senses.

  

Theme – central idea that is conveyed by a story (can be directly stated or simply implied); the main idea behind a story.  One story can have several themes worked into it; for example, many of Edgar Allen Poe's stories deal with themes of loss, obsession, insanity, and death.  The Harry Potter stories, on the other hand, have more positive themes, such as "Love conquers all," "Being different isn't always bad," and "Good beats evil (eventually)". 

 

Moral – A lesson the reader is supposed to learn from the story

 

Personification - Giving human traits to non-human creatures; assigning living qualities to non-living things ("A mosquito whispered in my ear." -- mosquitoes can't talk, so they can't actually whisper; "The sun smiled down on us." -- the sun doesn't have a mouth, so it can't smile)

 

Extended definition - Includes examples of what you are defining and point out important aspects that cannot be explained in a brief description

 

Repetition - when a word, phrase, line, or idea is repeated in order to emphasize a point or to create a connection in the reader's head between one point in a story and another.