Literary Terms Unit 1 (Terms 11-21)

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Theme

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A central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work.

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Stated Theme

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When the story directly states the theme.

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Implied Theme

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When readers must think about what the theme of the story is.

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Foreshadowing

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The use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur.

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Flashback

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A means by which authors present material that occurred earlier than the present tense of the narrative.

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Direct Characterization

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The author directly states a character’s traits.

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Indirect Characterization

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An author provides clues about a character by describing what a character looks like, does, and says, as well as how other characters react to him or her.

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Protagonist

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The main character in a literary work.

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Antagonist

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A character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist.

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Round Character

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A character that shows many different traits, faults, and virtues.