Foil : A character who functions as a contrast to a more important figure.
Foreshadowing : The hint in a narrative of later developments.
Motif : An element that appears in a number of literary works. It differs from a THEME, which it closely resembles, in that it is a concrete example of a theme.
Narrator : The voice that recounts the story in a NARRATIVE. In fictional narratives, the identity of the narrator can raise complicated questions.
Protagonist : The chief character in a DRAMA or STORY. The rival or opposing figure of the protagonist is termed the ANTAGONIST. In many cases the protagonist is the hero and the antagonist is the villain.
Setting : The time and place of a NARRATIVE and DRAMA and, by extension, the social and political context of the action.
Symbol : refers to the process by which a person, place, object, or event comes to stand for some abstract idea or condition. The connection between the subject and its reference is never explicit; it is left for the reader to discover.
Theme : A significant idea in a literary text; also used to describe a recurring idea in a number of texts. Theme offers a consistent thread through which the reader can unify the narrative.
