criticism, stream of unconsciousness is a narrative mode that portrays an individual's point of view by transcribing the author's unconscious dialogue or...

In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass...

In works of art, literature, and narrative, a symbol is a concrete element like an object, character, image, situation, or action that suggests or hints...

separate from Chekhov's original intent of narrative conservation and necessity. The principle is carried out in many of the James Bond films, in which the...

confidence. Their method is basically a stream of unconsciousness, a mixture of Dylan Thomas and Mae West, with overtones of Goethe. At a time when British influence...

wealth of source material for both audio releases and books. The transcriptions of his lengthy somniloquy are an example of the stream of unconsciousness method...

mēkhanês theós) 'god from the machine'. The term was coined from the conventions of ancient Greek theater, where actors who were playing gods were brought on...

The use of a MacGuffin as a plot device predates the name MacGuffin. The Holy Grail of Arthurian legend has been cited as an early example of a MacGuffin...

Latin: [ɪn ˈmɛdɪ.aːs ˈreːs], lit. "into the middle of things") opens in the chronological middle of the plot, rather than at the beginning (cf. ab ovo...

the collective unconsciousness (German: kollektives Unbewusstes) is a coined term by Carl Jung, which is the belief that the unconscious mind comprises...

and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions that most of the audience considers morally correct, their reasons for doing so may not...

antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain. The English word antagonist...

prōtagōnistḗs 'one who plays the first part, chief actor') is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily...

Greek κλῖμαξ (klîmax) 'staircase, ladder') or turning point of a narrative work is its point of highest tension and drama, or it is the time when the action...

"continuum of allegory", a spectrum that ranges from what he termed the "naive allegory" of the likes of The Faerie Queene, to the more private allegories of modern...

French: [kliʃe]) is a saying, idea, or element of an artistic work that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, novelty, or figurative...

who tells the story and how the story is told (for example, by using stream of consciousness or unreliable narration). The narrator may be anonymous...

censorship of information or denial of free thought, worship of an unattainable goal, the complete loss of individuality, and heavy enforcement of conformity...

A red herring may be used intentionally, as in mystery fiction or as part of rhetorical strategies (e.g., in politics), or may be used in argumentation...

introduces the idea of reading the fantastic through a psychoanalytical lens, referring primarily to Freud's theory of the unconscious, which she believes...

long-established in the realm of literature (written narrative fiction), the broad study of the nature, function, and meaning of fiction is called literary...

Utopian and dystopian fiction are subgenres of speculative fiction that explore extreme forms of social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays...

Resolution. Syd Field described it in his 1979 book Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting. As the story moves along, the plot usually progresses in such...

background, or legend is a set of events invented for a plot, preceding and leading up to that plot. In acting, it is the history of the character before the...

considered one of the fundamental components of fiction. Setting may refer to the social milieu in which the events of a novel occur. The elements of the story...

Suspension of disbelief is the avoidance—often described as willing—of critical thinking and logic in understanding something that is unreal or impossible...

highlight or differentiate certain qualities of the protagonist. A foil to the protagonist may also be the antagonist of the plot. In some cases, a subplot can...

origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist. In American comic books, it also...

Hypertext fiction is a genre of electronic literature characterized by the use of hypertext links that provide a new context for non-linearity in literature...

explorations and explanations of the mental states of the character's inner person, usually through narrative modes such as stream of consciousness and flashbacks...