Literary Concepts and Techniques

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What is a theme?

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A theme is the big idea or message of a story. It is what the story teaches us about life.

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How to find a theme?

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Look at what the main character learns or struggles with, think about how the story ends, and ask yourself what the story is trying to tell about life.

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What is characterization?

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Characterization is the way an author shows what a character is like.

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What are the two types of characterization?

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Direct Characterization: The author tells us what the character is like. Indirect Characterization: The author shows us through actions, words, and thoughts.

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How to analyze characters?

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Pay attention to what the character says and does, look at how other characters react to them, and ask what this tells you about their personality.

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What is conflict?

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Conflict is a problem or struggle in a story that makes it exciting.

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What are the types of conflict?

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Internal Conflict: A character struggles with feelings or decisions. External Conflict: A character struggles against outside forces.

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How to find conflict?

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Ask what the biggest problem in the story is and look at who or what is causing trouble for the main character.

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What is point of view?

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Point of view is who is telling the story.

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What are the types of narrators?

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First-Person: The narrator is a character in the story. Third-Person Limited: The narrator knows one character’s thoughts. Third-Person Omniscient: The narrator knows everything about all characters.