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Lit. Crit. Terms

Literary Terminology

Question	Answer
Abstract	Word or idea referring to a generality, state of being, or quality that cannot be reached by the five senses.
Allegory	Writing that has a deeper meaning hidden beneath the obvious one.
Alliteration	Repetition of sounds at the beginning of words.
Allusion	Reference, without explanation, to previous, well-known literature, character, or common knowledge, assuming reader is familiar with its implications.
Anadiplosis	Repetition of an important word in a phrase or clause (often ending word) in the next phrase or clause.
Analogy	Comparison of two dissimilar things that alike is some way, often using simile or metaphor.
Antagonist	Person who opposes or competes with the main character, hero, or heroine; often the villain.
Antihero	Character, usually the protagonist, who faces a series of problems and events in a story, but often is going against traditional societal standards.
Antithesis	Opposing view, view contrasted with thesis (main idea).
Aphorism	Wise saying, usually short and written, reflecting a general truth.
Author	Writer of the work.
Autobiography	Story of someone's life written by that person.
Bibliography	List of written works or sources on a particular subject.
Bildungsroman	Fiction centering around idealistic protagonist's coming of age, and used for education and guidance of others.
Biography	Book about someone's life written by another person.
Blurb	Short publicity article on book jacket or brochure to promote book.
Bowdlerize	To cull obscenity from a piece of writing.
Burlesque	Literary form which ridicules or mocks.
Catharsis	Therapeutic release of emotion upon identifying with and being moved by a piece of literature.
Catastrophe	Final event, usually death.
Character	Person or animal who appears in a work of fiction.
Characterization	The process which is used to develop a character in a narrative or drama, often through the conflict of the plot.
Circumlocution	Writing or speaking that goes around the subject instead of getting directly to the point.
Classicism	Literature (and other arts) movements of ancient Greece and Rome, using strict forms, accenting reason, and characterized by restraint. Opposite of Romanticism.
Cliche	Trite, overused idea or statement.
Climax	High point in the plot where the reader is most intrigued and does not yet know the outcome.
Coherence	Clearness in connecting ideas.
Comedy	Fictional writing that has a happy ending for its major characters and contains humor.
Conciseness	"Tight" writing; use of only the necessary words to express thoughts.
Concrete	Opposite of abstract; refers to specific people and things that can be perceived with the five senses.
Conflict	Opposing elements or characters in a plot.
Connotation	Surrounding feelings and associations added to word meaning.
Consonance	Repetition of similar consonant sounds, with changes in intervening vowel sounds.
Convention	Accepted literary form of the past.
Copyright	Legal rights to published works which stop anyone else from using the work without permission.
Critic	Person who evaluates literature or other art.
Criticism	Essays and critiques evaluating a writer or his work, based on set standards, according to philosophy of critic.
Denotation	Dictionary meaning of word.
Denouement	Outcome, resolution, solution of a plot.
Dialogue/Dialog	Speaking and conversation between characters in stories, plays, and in person.
Didactic	Describes literary works meant to teach a moral or lesson.
Doppelganger	Personification of the personality of a character's darker side; ghost.
Double-entendre	Double meaning of word, phrase, or sentence, often raucous or sexual in implication.
Editorial	Newspaper or magazine article expressing opinion of an editor or publisher.
Ellipsis	Three dots (...) to show words have been left out of a quotation or to indicate the passage of time.
Envoy/Envoi	Brief postscript to book, essay, or poem; often the concluding stanza to a ballade, summarizing the poem.
Epigram	Witty, often paradoxical, saying or brief poem.
Epitaph	Inscription on tombstone or marker of the dead.
Eponym	Person whose name is the source of a new word.
Essay	Short prose work expressing author's views on a subject.
Euphemism	More palatable word for less pleasant subject.
Fable	Story with moral or lesson about life, often with animal characters with human characteristics.
Fabliau	Short, metrical tale told by minstrels in twelfth and thirteenth centuries, often spicy and satiric.
Fiction	Any literature about imaginary events or people.
Fiction, Interactive	Stories that give the reader choices in the way the plot develops by making certain decisions along the way.
Fiction, Popular	Fiction aimed at the mainstream of the population.
Fiction, Science	Fiction concerning advanced technology, usually imagined, not actual scientific advancements.
First-Person Narrative	Story told from first-person point of view, usually using "I."
Flashback	Jumping backward in the chronology of a narrative, often through a dream or musing sequence.
Foil	Character opposite or different from the protagonist, used to highlight the protagonist's traits; incidents or settings may also be used as foils.
Folklore/Folktales	Stories and legends transmitted by word of mouth, rather in writing.
Foreshadow	Hints during the narrative about what will happen later; can be literal hints or symbolic hints.
Genre, Literary	Kind or type of literature; literary classification.
Hero	Character, usually the protagonist, who rises above and conquers the series of problems and events in the story.
Homonyms	Words that sound alike, are spelled alike, but have different meanings.
Homophones	Words that sound alike (including homonyms and also words that have different spellings).
Hyperbole	Use of extreme exaggeration for effect.
i.e.	That is (followed usually by explanatory matter).
ibid.	Used in footnotes and bibliographies to refer to the source mentioned directly above.
idiom	Phrase in common use that does not literally mean what it says.
imagery	Creation of mental pictures by pertinent word choice and heightened description.
in medias res	Beginning in the middle of events.
irony	Phrases or words with meanings quite different from what is actually stated.
jargon	Words peculiar to any particular occupation.
juvenilia, literary	Literature produced during youth; or literture suited to young readers.
kenning	Short metaphorical expresssion referring to something without naming it, primarily used in Old English and Norse poetry.
legend	Story handed down, generation to generation, often thought to be at least partially true historically.
liotes	Understatement, where a positive is expressed as a negative.
malapropism	Confusion of similar-sounding words which often ends up sounding humorous.
metaphor	Comparison of unlike things without using the words like or as.
moral	A lesson the literature is teaching; fables usually teach a lessson about life.
motif, literary	Recurrent words or phrases.
Mythology	Traditional tales about goddesses, gods, heroes and other characters, often telling about the creation of the universe, talking about death, or otherwise philosophically explaining human existence.
Narration	Telling a story.
Narrator	Person telling the story or narrative.
N.B.	Note well (followed by important point to remember)
Nom De Plume	Pen name or pseudonym used by author.
Novel	Long, fictional prose story.
Novella	Short novel with fewer characters than novel.
Novel, Gothic	Novel with medieval setting suggesting mystery and/or horror.
Novel, Historical	Full length fiction book, using historical facts as its basis for plot or setting, but including imaginary characters and dialogue.
Novel, Picaresque	Novel characterized by young hero of lower-class, unrespectable background, who leaves home and is faced with a harsh, cruel world, and eventually conforms to its realities.
Naunce	Slight shade of meaning or detail.
Op. Cit.	Used in footnotes/bibliographies to refer to work previously cited or quoted.
Oxymoron	Use of paradoxical or opposite words for effect.
Paradox	Contradictory statement that makes sense.
Paraphrase	Restatement of writing, keeping the basic meaning, but telling it in one's own words.
Parody, Literary	Satire imitating, but mocking an author or work.
Passage, Purple	Writing that contains flowery, ornate language, often in the midst of otherwise dull passages.
Personification	Literary device where writer attributes human qualities to objects or ideas.
Plagiarism	Using other people's work as one's own without crediting the true author.
Play	Story written to be acted out by actors on a stage; directions; drama.
Play, Miracle	Early drama based on religious stories; saint play.
Play, Morality	Early drama involving teaching and preaching of moral principles, usually by allegorical characters.
Play, Mystery	Early dramatizations of the Old and New Testaments.
Plot	Structure of the literature; the way it is put together; the unfolding or sequence of the events.
Poetry	Poem collection; genre characterized by rhythm, rhyme(sometimes), and stanzas, as opposed to prose.
Point of View	Perspective from which the story is written; can be omniscient (all-knowing), first person("I"), shifting between characters, or other.
Prose	Literature written in sentences and paragraphs, as opposed to poetry or verse.
Protagonist	Main character, hero, or heroine in a written work.
Proverb	Saying, adage, or maxim, usually short and generally believed to be true.
Pseudonym	Name author uses instead of his/her real name; nom de plume.
Pun	Play on words; words put together in such a way as to be humorous.
Question, Rhetorical	Question asked without expecting an answer; used for effect.
Realism, Literary	Literature reflecting real life, rather than imaginary or idealistic life.
Redundancy	Repetition that is unnecessary and and awkward, as contrasted with intentional repetition for a particular effect.
Resolution	Clarification, solution, or outcome of the conflict in a story.
Rhetoric	Persuasive writing.
Roman A Clef	Novel based on actual people and places, but written as fiction instead of fact.
Romance	Story about heroic deeds, mysterious settings, or love.
Romanticism	Literary movement characterized by emotion, imagination, and goodness of people; little emphasis on reason. Opposite of classicism.
Sarcasm	Form of irony which seems to praise, but really criticizes.
Satire	Literature that makes fun of social conditions or conventions, often for the purpose of creating change.
Sequel	A subsequent writing similar to an original, often with the same characters.
Setting	Time and place of a story.
Simile	Comparison of one thing to another using the words like or as.
Spoonerism	Sound reversal in words to produce a humorous effect. Named after William Spooner, English Preacher.
Story, Short	Fiction story shorter than a novel, often having a surprise ending.
Style	The way an author characteristically expresses him- or herself ( short sentences, flowery language, etc.)
Symbol	A word or object that stands for something else.
Synonym	Words meaning the same.
Synopsis	Summary or condensed statement of a literary work.
Tale, Fairy	Fanciful, imaginary story about a hero or heroine overcoming a problem, often involving mystical creatures, supernatural power, or magic; often a type of folktale.
Theme/Thesis	Main idea in a piece of literature; topic or subject.
Thriller	Story or movie filled with suspense.
Tone	Mood brought forth by story or poem.
Tragedy	Literature, often drama, ending in catastrophe for the protagonists after dealing with a series of problems.
Understatement	Form of irony where the author intentionally understates the facts (says it less than it is).
Verse	Writing with rhyme and meter, as opposed to prose; often verse refers to poetry of a less serious nature.
Villain	Character in a story or play who opposes the protagonist; the "bad guy".

Created by: Kim Lemons

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