Literary Terms

A character who is fully developed, and has many different character traits.

• round
• flat
• static
• dynamic

A character who is stereotypical, one-dimensional, and possesses few traits.

• dynamic
• flat
• round
• static

A character that does not change.

• round
• static
• flat
• dynamic

A character who changes as a result of the story's events.

• flat
• round
• dynamic
• static

The technique used by the author to develop a character.  This is accomplished by what the character says or does, what others say about the character, and/or the author's word choice in descriptive passages.

• antagonist
• personification
• characterization
• protagonist

Clues the writer uses within the story to give the reader a hint of what is to come.

• suspense
• foreshadowing
• flashback
• symbol

An object, person, or event that functions as itself, but also represents/stands for something more than itself.

• simile
• metaphor
• allusion
• symbol

The main character that undergoes some type of change within a story and grows as a result of the experience.

• protagonist
• indirect character
• antagonist
• direct character

A major character who opposes the main character but does not undergo a change.

• indirect character
• antagonist
• protagonist
• direct character

A character struggles against an outside force that may include another character, nature, technology, progress, society, or the supernatural.

• catastrophe
• internal conflict
• inciting incident
• external conflict