Literary Terms and Concepts

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Story

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Definition: A structured narrative, real or imagined, told through prose or verse to entertain, inform, or teach. Example: Cinderella is a traditional story with a beginning, middle, and end.

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Fiction

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Definition: Prose writing that describes imaginary events and characters. Example: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.

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Nonfiction

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Definition: Prose writing based on facts, real events, and real people. Example: Night by Elie Wiesel.

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Memoir

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Definition: A form of nonfiction in which an author tells a story from their own life. Example: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

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Short Story

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Definition: A brief work of fiction that develops a theme and characters but is shorter than a novel. Example: “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson.

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Setting

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Definition: The time, place, and environment where a story happens. Example: The Salinas Valley during the Great Depression in Of Mice and Men.

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Characters

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Definition: The people, animals, or beings who take part in the action of a story. Example: Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.

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Conflict

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Definition: The struggle between opposing forces that drives the plot. Example: Man vs. nature in The Old Man and the Sea.

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Plot

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Definition: The sequence of related events that make up a story. Example: In Romeo and Juliet, the plot follows the lovers’ secret romance to its tragic end.

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Point of View (POV)

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Definition: The perspective from which the story is narrated. Example: First-person POV in The Hunger Games.