Basic Literary Terms

Novel	an extended narrative in prose. Typically the novel relates to a series of events or follows the history of a character or group of characters through a period of time.
Short Story	a fictional narrative generally centering on one climactic event and usually developing only a single character in depth; its scope is narrower than that of a novel.
Plot	the way in which the narrative events are arranged. Generally, plots have the same basic elements: Exposition - the explanation of the story's premise and background material necessary for the reader to understand the story; Crisis - the peak in the story's action--the moment of highest dramatic tension; Climax - the scene which presents the story's decisive action; Resolution or denouement - the outcome of the story--the information that ties up all (or many) of the story's loose ends.
Point-of-View	the angle from which a story is told; i.e., the type of narrator the author chooses to use In first-person narration the narrator uses "I" to tell his or her story. The first-person narrator may be a major character in the story or simply an observer. In third-person narration narrators are not actually characters in the story. Omniscient third-person narrators can reveal the thoughts of all their characters; they are "all-knowing." A limited omniscient narrator only reveals the thoughts and feelings of one (or possibly a limited few) character(s). An objective third-person narrator does not reveal anyone's thoughts and provides the sort of external, objective information that a camera (or an objective reporter) might record.
Character	a fictional representation of a person (or animal). Characters may be described as either flat or round. Round characters are usually main characters and are fully developed so that the reader can understand their personality and motivations. Flat characters are usually minor characters who are barely developed or may be stereotypes. A foil is a character who serves to contrast with another character. A hypocritical character, for example, may help emphasize the hero/heroine's honesty.
Theme	the central or dominant idea of a work of fiction
Setting	the historical, physical, geographical, and psychological location where a fictional work takes place
Style	the way a writer selects and arranges words to express ideas
Tone	the attitude of the speaker or author of a work toward the subject matter
Symbol	a person, object, action, place, or event that in addition to its literal or denotative meanings suggests a more complex meaning or range of meanings
Allegory	a story with two parallel and consistent levels of meaning, on literal and one figurative