Introduction and Novel: Bridge to Terabithia

A word art illustration consisting of words from the novel "Bridge to Terabithia." Novels have the ability to provide an escape from the regular world. Some works of literature provide elements of fantasy that allow people to experience unheard-of worlds or ideas. Novels, poems, short stories, dramas, essays, and art all reveal ideas and lessons, or themes that people need to understand and remember. Identifying the various elements of the novel helps the reader break down the structure, characters, and narrator. Determining the theme, or main idea, of a text gives the reader a deeper knowledge of the purpose behind the plot and characters. A work of literature can have several main themes, and many other pieces of literature can share the same theme. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson reveals the themes of belonging and friendship. After understanding the elements of literature, the reader will have the ability to identify the elements in other works of literature, as well as observe the appearance of common themes.

Essential Questions

What is a theme?
How do I identify a theme within a text?
How do I understand the different genres?
What are the literary terms authors use to reveal understanding and deeper meanings within a text?

Key Terms

1. Exposition: The background of a story, usually presented at the beginning, in order to understand the story properly.
2. Foreshadowing: Hints of what is to come in the action of a play or a story.
3. Suspense: Nervous uncertainty; tension.
4. Rising action: The events in a conflict that lead to a climax.
5. Climax: The point where forces in conflict meet; turning point.
6. Falling action: The conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist; events that occur after the climax has been reached.
7. Resolution: When the falling action unwinds to a conclusion—all ends are tied.
8. Dénouement: When the falling action unwinds to a conclusion—all ends are tied; another word for the resolution.
9. Characterization: The way in which an author presents and defines characters.
10. Direct characterization: When the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like.
11. Indirect characterization: When the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.
12. S.T.E.A.L: An acronym indicating what to look for when finding indirect characterization: Speech, Thoughts, Effects on others, Actions, Looks.
13. Narrator: The voice that relates, or tells, the events; the speaker.
14. Conflict: A struggle between two or more forces.
15. Man v. man conflict: An external conflict where a character has an argument, disagreement, struggle, or another type of problem with another character.
16. Man v. nature conflict: An external conflict where a character has a problem with outside forces in nature such as weather, animals, and land.
17. Man v. society conflict: An external conflict where a character encounters a struggle with the laws or beliefs of a group.
18. Man v. himself conflict: An internal conflict where the character struggles to decide what to do or think.
19. Chronological order: The arrangement of events following one after another in time.
20. Implied setting: The time and place of the story suggested by clues within the text.
21. Stated setting: The time and place of the story are clearly stated in the text.
22. Cultural context: Understanding the behaviors, beliefs, and characteristics of a particular social, ethnic, or age group that may be relevant to understanding the meaning of the story.
23. Historical context: Understanding the political and social events of a period that may be relevant to understanding the story's meaning.
24. Historical fiction: A type of literary genre that tells a story that is set in the past. The setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the main characters tend to be fictional.
25. Protagonist: The main character of a story.
26. Antagonist: The person or force that opposes the main character.
27. Point of view: The perspective of a narrator.
28. First person: The point of view where the narrator uses the pronoun "I."
29. Third person: The point of view where the narrator uses the pronouns "he," "she," "it," or "they."
30. Omniscient: The point of view where the narrator is “all-knowing” or sees and hears everything.
31. Theme: The meaning behind a story.
32. Tone: The attitude of the writer conveyed through writing.
33. Dialect: A particular form of a language or accent that is peculiar to a specific region or social group.
34. Dialogue: Conversations between or among characters.
35. Plot: The sequence of events in a story.

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