Literary Terms and Concepts

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Antagonist

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A character or force in conflict with the main character

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Climax

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The turning point of the story

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Conflict

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The struggle between two forces

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Exposition

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Background information presented in a literary work; includes setting, character description, etc.

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Falling Action

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Events after the climax of a literary work, leading to the resolution

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Inciting Incident

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Event that introduces the central conflict of a literary work and basically starts the plot

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Person vs. Nature

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The struggle between a character and a force of nature; usually a struggle to survive

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Person vs. Person

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The struggle is between two or more characters

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Person vs. Self

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The character struggles in their mind to handle emotion or make a decision

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Person vs. Society

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The struggle between a character and a group of people or society as a whole; can include the struggle against expectations or traditions