Key Terms in Fiction

2. The opening element of a story designed to grab the reader’s attention immediately.
4. A story in which characters, events, or settings symbolize deeper moral, political, or spiritual meanings.
6. The author’s attitude toward the subject or audience.
9. A scene that interrupts the chronological order to show an earlier event.
10. The central idea, message, or underlying meaning of a story.
11. Using objects, characters, or events to represent larger ideas.
15. A contrast between appearance and reality, often highlighting the opposite of what is expected.
16. Third-Person ____: A narrative perspective that focuses on the thoughts and experiences of only one character.
19. Irony _____: When the audience knows something that a character does not, creating tension or humor.
21. _____ Action: Events leading up to the climax that build tension.
24. The main character around whom the story revolves.
26. A category of literature defined by style, content, or form.
27. The method through which the author provides necessary background within the story.
29. The turning point or most intense moment in a story.
30. Placing two characters, ideas, or events side by side to highlight differences or similarities.
31. A feeling of tension or uncertainty about what will happen next.
32. The sequence of events in a story, including conflict, climax, and resolution.

1. A person, animal, or being who participates in the story.
3. Third-Person ____: A narrative perspective in which the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.
5. Hints or clues about events that will happen later in the story.
7. A struggle between opposing forces that drives the story.
8. A character or force that opposes the protagonist.
12. The emotional feeling or atmosphere that a story evokes in the reader.
13. The introduction of background information, setting, and characters.
14. The process by which an author reveals a character’s traits, personality, and motivations.
17. Descriptive language that appeals to the senses to create a mental picture.
18. The spoken words between characters in a story.
20. A reference within a story to a person, place, event, or work of literature outside the text.
22. The person or voice that tells the story.
23. _____ Action: Events following the climax leading toward the story’s resolution.
25. The conclusion of the story where conflicts are resolved.
28. The time and place in which a story occurs.