LITERARY DEVICES

ANTAGONIST	Counterpart to the main character and source of a story’s main conflict. The person may not be “bad” or “evil” by any conventional moral standard, but he/she opposes the protagonist in a significant way.
CLIMAX	The turning point in a story, at which the end result becomes inevitable, usually where something suddenly goes terribly wrong; the “dramatic high point” of a story.
CONFLICT	A struggle between opposing forces which is the driving force of a story. The outcome of any story provides a resolution of the conflict(s); this is what keeps the reader reading.
DRAMATIC IRONY	Where the audience or reader is aware of something important, of which the characters in the story are not aware.
DIALOGUE	Where characters speak to one another; may often be used to substitute for exposition.
EXPOSITION	Where an author interrupts a story in order to explain something, usually to provide important background information.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE	Any use of language where the intended meaning differs from the actual literal meaning of the words themselves.
FORESHADOWING	Any use of language where the intended meaning differs from the actual literal meaning of the words themselves.
IMAGERY	Language which describes something in detail, using words to substitute for and create sensory stimulation, including visual imagery and sound imagery.
METAPHOR	A direct relationship where one thing or idea substitutes for another.
MOOD	The atmosphere or emotional condition created by the piece, within the setting
PERSONIFICATION	Where inanimate objects or abstract concepts are seemingly endowed with human self-awareness; where human thoughts, actions and perceptions are directly attributed to inanimate objects or abstract ideas.
PLOT	Sequence of events in a story. Most literary essay tasks will instruct the writer to “avoid plot summary;” the term is therefore rarely useful for response or critical analysis.
POINT-OF-VIEW	The identity of the narrative voice; the person or entity through whom the reader experiences the story.
PROTAGONIST	The main character in a story, the one with whom the reader is meant to identify.
SETTING	The time and place where a story occurs.
SIMILE	An indirect relationship where one thing or idea is expressed as being similar to another. Similes usually contain the words “like” or “as,” but not always.
SYMBOLISM	The use of specific objects or images to represent abstract ideas.
THEME	The main idea or message conveyed by the piece.
TONE	The author’s attitude towards the writing

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