Literary Terms Flashcards

Front

Characterization

Back

Techniques the author uses to describe characters in the story.

Front

Direct Characterization

Back

The narrator makes statements about the character's personality and tells the reader what the character is like.

Front

Indirect Characterization

Back

A writer shows what the characters are like by providing details about what the characters say and do, what other characters say about them, and how other characters respond to them.

Front

Theme

Back

The point the author tries to make with the story, a central message or insight about life.

Front

3rd Person Point of View

Back

Story is told by a narrator who does not participate in the action of the story.

Front

Objective Point of View

Back

An author who describes only what can be seen, like a newspaper reporter.

Front

Suspense

Back

Feeling of anxious uncertainty about an outcome.

Front

Conflict

Back

A struggle between opposing forces, calls on characters to act and drives the plot.

Front

External Conflict

Back

Character vs. nature, society, or struggle with opposing feelings.

Front

Resolution

Back

The part of the plot that ties all the loose ends together. The author answers the question "What happened then?" for the reader.