Literary Terms #1

point of view (POV)

• the position or perspective conveyed or represented by an author, narrator, speaker, or character.

• a specific location in a story where the action takes place.

• the emotional response of the audience to a narrative.

• the chronological order of events in a story.

third person omniscient POV

• when an outside narrator tells the story, and you know what more than one person is thinking

• when the narrator is a character in the story

• when the story is told from the perspective of one character

• when the narrator knows nothing about the characters' thoughts

indirect characterization

• when the reader has to use context clues to figure out the character’s personality traits

• when the author directly describes a character's traits

• when a character's actions are described without any context

• when the reader is given a character's backstory explicitly

direct characterization

• when the reader is directly told about the trait of a character

• when a character's traits are revealed through their actions

• when the reader infers a character's traits from their dialogue

• when the author describes the setting to reflect a character's mood

third person limited POV

• when an outside narrator tells the story, and you only know what one character is thinking

• when the narrator knows everything about all characters

• when the story is told from the perspective of multiple characters

• when the narrator is a character in the story

narrator

• a character who listens to the story

• the speaker or character who tells the story

• a person who reads the story aloud

• the main character in the story

first person POV

• when a character in the story tells the story and uses I or me to refer to himself or herself; you only know one side of the story

• a narrative style where the narrator is an outside observer

• a perspective that provides insight into multiple characters' thoughts and feelings

• a storytelling technique that uses second person pronouns like you and your

characterization

• the act of creating and developing a character

• the process of analyzing a character's motives

• the technique of summarizing a character's actions

• the method of comparing two characters

protagonist

• the main character (doesn't have to be morally good)

• a character who opposes the main character

• a minor character in the story

• the character who provides comic relief

antagonist

• the person/thing in conflict with the main character

• a character who supports the main character

• the main character's friend

• a character who provides comic relief