Prose Fiction Terms – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
conflict
answer
a problem faced by the main character
question
internal conflict
answer
problem or struggle within one character
question
external conflict
answer
problem or struggle between two outside forces
question
setting
answer
the time and place in which a story takes place
question
characterization
answer
the method used by a writer to develop a character
question
direct characterization
answer
author directly describes a character
question
indirect characterization
answer
author describes a character through his or her thoughts, actions, and dialogue
question
dynamic character
answer
a character who undergoes a significant change
question
static character
answer
a character who does not change
question
round character
answer
a multidimensional character
question
flat character
answer
a one-sided character
question
point of view
answer
the perspective from which the story is told
question
first person
answer
the narrator is a character in the story, "I"
question
third person limited
answer
narrator is outside of story and sees events from the eyes of one character
question
third person omniscient
answer
outside narrator who sees events from the eyes of all characters
question
third person objective
answer
third person narrator, no internal info about characters is conveyed
question
narrator
answer
the actual "teller" of a story
question
protagonist
answer
main character of the story, "owner" of central conflict
question
antagonist
answer
opposing force in the conflict
question
sympathetic character
answer
a character whose circumstances evoke sympathy from the reader
question
unreliable narrator
answer
first person narrator who cannot be completely trusted
question
suspense
answer
circumstances that evoke anticipation from the reader
question
motif
answer
a recurring word, phrase, image, object or action
question
flashback
answer
narration method that shifts in time to the past
question
theme
answer
a statement of truth about life or human nature
question
tone
answer
the author's attitude towards a subject
question
mood
answer
the atmospheric feeling a reader gets from a piece of writing
question
allusion
answer
an indirect reference to something well-known
question
hyperbole
answer
the use of exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis
question
onomatopoeia
answer
use of sound words
question
denotation
answer
the dictionary definition of a word
question
connotation
answer
the emotional meaning of a word
question
inference
answer
an understanding about what is happening based on known info
question
figurative language
answer
language with an additional meaning present
question
personification
answer
describing an inanimate object with human characteristics
question
symbol
answer
something that is itself but stands for something else
question
simile
answer
a comparison of 2 unlike things using "like" or "as"
question
metonymy
answer
a word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated
question
synecdoche
answer
a part is used to represent a whole
question
metaphor
answer
comparison saying one thing is another thing
question
irony
answer
there is discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident meanings of words or actions
question
dramatic irony
answer
the reader knows more than the characters know
question
situational irony
answer
a situation where the opposite of what is expected happens
question
verbal irony
answer
a character says the opposite of what he or she means
question
imagery
answer
descriptive language that creates a vivid mental picture
question
setting imagery
answer
colorful language that describes a character's surroundings
question
comedy
answer
ordinary person is protagonist, amusing or funny
question
tragedy
answer
protagonist is person of higher stature, contains a tragic hero
question
dominant impression
answer
predominant thought of feeling that comes out of a work through its language
question
annotate
answer
to take notes on a piece of writing
question
allegory
answer
a story that acts as an extended metaphor
question
in medias res
answer
starting a story in the middle, type of flashback
question
foil
answer
a character in a story who contrasts with another character
question
foreshadowing
answer
information given that prepares the reader for future events
