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Literary Elements
Terms&Definition
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Allusion | an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning is explicitly;an indirect or passing reference> |
| Alliteration | When two or more words in a group of words begin with the same sound (usually, the same letter or group of letters). for example: Anne’s awesome apple; Fred’s frozen french fries. see also: figurative language |
| Symbol | an object, setting, event, animal, or person that on one level is itself, but that has another meaning as well. for example, the american flag is really a piece of fabric with stars and stripes on it, but it also represents the United states and ideal |
| Dynamic Character | A character who undergoes a significant internal change over the course of a story. This may be a change in understanding, values, insight, etc. See also: static character. C |
| Metaphor | The comparison of two unlike things to illuminate a particular quality or aspect of one of those things. For example, “Karen was a ray of sunshine” is a metaphor in which Karen is compared with a ray of sunshine. The metaphor suggests that Karen was |
| Static Character | A character who does not undergo a significant change over the course of a story. See also: dynamic character. |
| Idiom | An expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words. For example, “it’s raining cats and dogs” is an idiom that means it’s raining really hard—but there is no way to know that from the meanings of its individual words. S |
| Protagonist | The main or central character of a work of literature. Usually, the main character is involved in a conflict or struggle with the antagonist. See also: antagonist. |
| Conflict | A struggle between opposing forces. A conflict may be external (between the character and another person, society, nature, or technology) or internal (a struggle within the character). |
| Antagonist | The opponent or enemy of the main character, or protagonist. See also: protagonist. |
| Theme | the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic. |
| Point Of View | The perspective from which a story is told. In other words, who is telling the story—a character in the story or an outside narrator. There are several types of point of view: (1) first-person point of view, where the narrator is a character in the st |
| Mood | The feeling the reader gets from a work of literature. Another way to describe a story’s mood is atmosphere. When you walk into a place, it has an atmosphere that makes you feel a certain way; when you “walk into” a story, it too has an atmosphere th |
| Repetition For Effect | the action of repeating something that has already been said or written |
| Setting | The environment in which a story takes place, including the time period, the location, and the physical characteristics of the surroundings. |
| Foreshadowing | Clues or hints about something that is going to happen later in the story. Authors use foreshadowing to build suspense and to prepare the reader for what happens later. |
| Imagery | : Language that portrays sensory experiences, or experiences of the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Authors use imagery to describe actions, characters, objects, and ideas, and to heighten the emotional effect of their writing. O |
| Oxymorn | a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction |
| Diction | the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing. |
| Figurative Language | The literal meaning of a word is its definition as you would find it in a dictionary. Figurative language uses words in some way other than for their literal meanings to make a comparison, add emphasis, or say something in a fresh and creative way. E |
| Hyperbol | exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. |
| Simile | a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid |
| Characterization | The methods used by an author to crate a character. |
| Personification | the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form |
| Tone | The tone of a piece of literature is the speaker's or narrator's attitude towards the subject, rather than what the reader feels, as in mood. Mood is the general feeling or atmosphere that a piece of writing creates within the reader |
| Humor | the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech. |
| Denotation | the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests. |
| Understatement | the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is. |
| Suspense | a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen. |
| Connotation | an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning. |
| Flashback | a scene in a movie, novel, etc., set in a time earlier than the main story. |
| Irony | the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. |
| Voice | An author's or narrator's distinctive style or manner of expression. It can reveal much about the author/narrator's personality. |
| Motif | a decorative design or pattern. |
| Sarcasm | the use of irony to mock or convey contempt. |
Created by:
alyssajohnson0413
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