VJHS 7th grade Literary Terms

The main character in a story.

The character opposed to the protagonist (main character).

The point of highest tension in a story.

All the events in a story.

The way the author creates convincing characters, usually through word choice and/or descriptions.

The central message or idea the author wishes the reader to understand from the story.

The manner in which the conflict is resolved (solved).

The struggle between opposing forces in a story (usually the struggle between the protagonist and the antagonist).

The time AND place in which the story takes place.  Sometimes there is more than one setting to a story.

Hints or clues the author gives of upcoming events in the story

Repeating the beginning consonant SOUND in two or more words close together in a sentence. (Sally sells seashells by the seashore.)

• An extreme exaggeration.
• (My backpack weighs a thousand pounds)

The beginning of the story where you learn about the characters, the setting (time & place), and a little about the conflict.

The feeling of a story that is conveyed through the author's word choice and detailed descriptions.

The perspective from which the story is told.  (First person, third person, omniscient)

All the events that build the conflict in the story.

All the events after the climax.

When the author makes a reference to something or someone in history, in another story (literary), or in mythology.

It is NOT an illusion - that is what magicians do when performing their tricks.