CLEP VOCAB Analyzing and Interpreting Literature 2023/2024

Fiction --stories with characters that are not real Tale --similar in meaning to "fiction", described as "telling a tale" Short Story --brief, prose fiction that is usually about only one character and situation Parable --Short story with a moral (ex: the Bible contains many famous parables) Allegory --Where abstract ideas are represented by characters or other means Rectitude --Morally correct or upright Fable --a brief story that points to a moral, usually includes animals that talk. Also, similar to a parable. Initiation Story --story where the main character goes through "rites of initiation" such as getting a driver's license, first date, getting married, etc. Epiphany --a sudden realization, like "being struck by lightning" Exposition --where we meet the characters and the setting Rising Action --where we find out about the conflict and includes all new problems we learn about along the way Falling Action (resolution and denouement) --what happens after the climax and what happens in the end (ex: movies showing where all the characters ended up) Protagonist --main character Antagonist --character who opposes or tries to stop protagonist from solving story's crisis Anti-hero --protagonist that does not have what it takes to make him a hero, lacking in some way Major Character --protagonist of the story and is the story's focus Minor Character --character plays a supporting role in story Flat Character --someone who seems only "sketched in" by the author, you do not know very much about the character Round Character --a fully developed character, author tells both good and bad things about them Style --the way a story is written, shows the author's personal flair and touch (ex: monologue, diary format, etc.) Tone --the mood of a subject (ex: subdued, joyful, explosive, etc.) First Person --When the speaker is talking about himself or herself, (ex: "I love going to the park.") Stream-of-Consciousness --unedited view of the speaker's (or main character's) mind, something that flows freely Narrator --someone telling the story, they are a participant and may be the main character Naïve Narrator --narrator that does not understand the conflicts about the story he is telling Third Person Narrator --not a participant in the story, reports events (ex: "She cried all night.") Third Person Objective Narrator --type of narrator that cannot tell us about any of the thoughts of the characters, but only what they are doing Third Person Limited Narrator --type of narrator that knows all about one character, including their thoughts, but that's all Third Person Omniscient Narrator --all knowing, might have info that main characters do not Unreliable Narrator --narrator that is mentally unstable or deranged Point of View --the way the story is told and by whom Symbol --something that suggests more than its literal meaning (ex: a skull and crossbones stands for poison) Satire --when authors use humor, exaggeration, or irony to make a point, draw attention to stupidity/flaws in a character or society Parody --an imitation of a particular thing, like an artist, writer, play, or movie with the intention of being funny Irony --a stylistic device involving different interpretations of actions and words, what is being said or done is not what it seems to be