Literary Terms and Concepts

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Characters

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The people in a novel, play, or movie.

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Setting

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The time, place, and conditions in which a story takes place.

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Theme

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The author's message or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

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Conflict

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The problem or struggle in a story.

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Internal Conflict

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The struggle occurring within a character's mind.

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External Conflict

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A struggle that takes place between the main character and some outside forces.

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Plot

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The main events of a play, novel, movie, or similar work, devised and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.

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Climax

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That particular point in a narrative at which the conflict or tension hits the highest point - the turning point of the story.

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Resolution

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The part of the story's plot line in which the problem of the story is resolved or worked out. It doesn't have to be a happy ending.

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Introduction/Exposition

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The section that leads into a story; the opening.