elements of the novel
Terms
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- Characterization
- The methods a writer uses to communicate information about characters to readers.
- Direct Characterization
- When the author tells the reader directly about a character.
- Indirect characterization
- When the author shows the character in action and lets the reader draw his/her own conclusions.
- Climax
- The moment when the action comes to its highest point of dramatic conflict. Most often, the climax occurs before the acutal ending of the story.
- Complication
- Any obstacle that increases the tension of the story conflict
- Conflict
- The central source of tension and drama in the story.
- Dialogue
- Actual words that the characters speak
- Exposition
- Background material about characters, setting, and dramatic situation with which the author introduces the essentials of the story to the reader
- Falling action
- The part of the story following the climax and leading to the resolution in which there is a sharp decline in dramatic tension.
- Foreshadowing
- A writing technique that gives readers clues about events that will happen later in the story
- Narrator
- The speaker who tells the story.
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Point of view
Omniscient
Limited -
The perspective from which the story is told. Omniscient: if the narrator is outside the story and presents the thoughts of many characters involved
Limited: When the story is told from the viewpoint of one character who can only see a part of a whole story. - Protagonist
- Central character of the story. The character that is often written as "the hero."
- Resolution
- Conclusion of the story.
- Rising Action
- The part of the story, including exposition, in which the tension rises.
- Setting
- The environment of the story.
- Symbol
- An object, character, or action that stands for an idea beyond its literal meaning
- Theme
- The story's main ideas, the message that the author tries to communicate throughout the story. Themes are often universal truths suggested by the specifics of the story.
- Flashback
- A scene that takes place in a previous time than the present time in the novel
- Plot
- Arrangement of story events that defintes a novle's structure.