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Literature Glossary

Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.

Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.

Dénouement

Definition:

A French word meaning to "untie," the dénouement refers to the part of the story when the plot resolves itself in a (usually) exciting and clever way. Think of it as the moment (or scenes) when we find out what happens to the characters after everything has changed during the climax.