MIDTERM REVIEW: LITERARY TERMS Protagonist:  main character         Antagonist:  a character or force working against the main character   Foreshadowing:  a hint of what’s to come   Flashback:  a retelling of an event from the past as if it is happening in the present (written in the present tense, not the past tense).   Characterization:  the methods authors use to develop their characters             CHARACTERIZATION What a character says             What a character does             What a character thinks             What he/she wears or looks like             How he/she interacts with others             What the narrator says about him/her             What other characters say about him/her   Character Types   Foil:  a character (usually minor) whose traits are opposite another (usually a main character); the purpose of a foil is to highlight and emphasize each other’s traits   Confidante:  a character who, through discussion with the protagonist) reveals the innermost thoughts or secrets of another character   Flat character: a character dominated by one trait Round character:  a character who is well-developed and has varied traits Dynamic character:  a character who makes a fundamental change from the beginning of the work to the end Static character:  a character who is fundamentally the same from the beginning of the work to the end     Conflict: a struggle between two opposing forces   man vs. man man vs. nature man vs. society man vs. himself       Allusion:  a reference to a literary work or person or event from history   Personification:  giving human qualities to nonhuman things   Symbol:  an object or person that represents an abstract idea   Motif:  a recurring idea that emphasizes the theme   Theme:  the central message or main idea   Irony:  the opposite of what one expects or knows to be true             Dramatic irony:  a contradiction between what the audience knows and what characters know Situational irony:  a contradiction between what the audience expects to occur and what actually does Verbal irony:  a contradiction between what is said and what is meant     PLOT  (Freytag’s Pyramid)             used to delineate a TRADITIONAL plot structure     EXPOSITION:  introduction to the main characters and basic situation               INCITING INCIDENT:  introduction to the central conflict               DEVELOPMENT:  series of events that develop the central conflict and the characters               CLIMAX:  the highest point of suspense or interest               RESOLUTION:  an event that resolves the central conflict     Everything leading to the climax is called RISING ACTION.  Everything after the climax, leading to the resolution, is called FALLING ACTION.   Simile:  a comparison using “like” or “as”    (Life is like a box of chocolates.) Metaphor:  a comparison that does not use “like” or “as”  (This room is a pig sty!)   Diction:  an author’s choice of words   Connotation:  the feelings and/or images associated with a word Denotation:  a word’s dictionary meaning     Genre:  a category or type   Point Of View:  the perspective of the narrator   Narrator 1st  Person:  the narrator is a character and is somehow involved in the action 3rd Person Limited:  the narrator is not a character in the story and has limited knowledge of the events and/or characters 3rd Person Omniscient:  the narrator is not a character in the story and knows everything about the events and/or characters  (omniscient means “all knowing”)       Know these definitions.  Be able to apply your knowledge of these terms to the works we have studied. FEEL FREE to come see me before the exam.  You may also email me or refer to my website for some guidance.  Also, if you owe me a book, please turn it in ASAP.  Thanks!