Characterization: the act of creating and developing a character.

Climax: the point of greatest dramatic tension or excitement in a story.

Conflict: the struggle that moves the action forward in a work of literature.

Generalization: statements that simplify complex ideas or make judgments.

Methaphor: A comparison of two things that are dissimilar. One is described in terms of the other. Example "Life is a highway"

Narrator: the one who tells the story (not always the author of the story)

Plot: the pattern of events in a literary work; what happens in the story

Point of View: the position or vantage point, determined by the author, from which the story come to the reader. The two most common are first person (I, me, myself) and third person (he, she, it). Second person (you) is used much less often.

Protagonist: the central or main character in story around whom the plot centers

Simile: a comparison between two different things using like or as Example I am as hungry as a horse

Theme: the central or dominant idea behind the book. Theme is usually expressed indirectly, as an element the reader must figure out. It is a universal statement about humanity.