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Literary terms
Please study these terms often as they are ones that you need to know.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Allusion | making a reference to literature, art, history, or pop culture |
| Analyze | to examine a piece of literature critically in order to bring out the essential elements |
| Antagonist | A person or force who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something |
| Anthropomorphism | giving animals human qualities |
| Audience | those reached by a book, radio or television broadcast, etc… |
| Author's purpose | the reason the author wrote the story/piece of writing |
| Biblical allusion | a reference to a character or story in the Bible |
| Character | a person, animal, or item that participates in a literary work. |
| Dynamic character | Dynamic character: a literary or dramatic character who undergoes an important inner change |
| Static character | Static character: a literary or dramatic character who undergoes little or no inner change |
| Characterization | the method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character in a literary work |
| External characterization | the characteristics one can see - Physical description |
| Internal characterization | the characteristics one cannot see, things like personality, which can be shown through Character’s actions,Direct statements by narrator,Character’s own thoughts, comments, feelings and emotions. Other characters thoughts and comments about the character |
| Conflict | the struggle between two opposing forces that lies at the center of a plot in a story or a drama |
| External conflict | a conflict that exists when a character struggles against some outside force - man vs. man - man vs. nature -man vs. society |
| Internal conflict | a conflict that exists within a character torn between opposing feelings or goals -man vs. self |
| Culture | behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group |
| Deities | a person or thing revered as a god or goddess |
| Evaulate | to determine the quality of something |
| Expository | intended to explain or describe something |
| Flashback | an interruption in the chronological narrative that tells about something in detail as it occurred that happened before that point in the story or before the story began. |
| Foreshadowing | the use of clues by the author to prepare readers and build suspense by providing hints of what is to come. |
| Genre | type of literature |
| Heroes | people of distinguished courage or ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities |
| Hyperbole | figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to express strong emotion, make a point, or create humor. |
| Idiom | an expression that has a figurative meaning that is completely different from its literal meaning. |
| Imagery | the picture that forms in the reader’s mind as they read. |
| Inference | a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning. |
| Irony | the contrast between what is and what should be |
| Dramatic irony | the audience knows or understands something that the character or characters do not. |
| Situational irony | the result of an action is the reverse of what is expected. The reader is just as surprised as the characters. |
| Verbal irony | the contrast is between the literal meaning of what is said and what is meant. Also known as sarcasm. |
| Literary devices(Literary terms) | are an identifiable rule of thumb, convention or structure that is employed in literature and storytelling |
| Media | the means of communication |
| Metaphor | comparing two unlike things Extended metaphor: several connected comparisons are made |
| Mood | the feeling of a piece of literature |
| Mythology | a set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group |
| Narrator | the person telling the story |
| Oxymoron | combining two things that do not go together |
| Organizational patterns | recurring structures of relationship |
| Paraphrase | restating information in your own words |
| Parody | a humorous imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing |
| Personification | inanimate objects take on human characteristics |
| Persuasive | the attempt to someone to do or believe something through reasoning or the use of temptation. |
| Plot | the main events of the story |
| Exposition | contains the characters and setting |
| Rising action | the part of the story that builds interest |
| Climax | the turning point |
| Falling action | the part of the story that brings it to a close |
| Resolution | -Denouement: the “tying together” of the plot -Catastrophe: when everything falls apart at the end of the story -Cliffhanger: a story that doesn’t have a true ending, but leaves the reader waiting for more |
| Poetry | literary work in metrical form; verse |
| Epic poetry | poetry celebrating the deeds of a hero |
| Lyric poetry | songlike verse |
| Narrative poetry | tells a story |
| 1st person (subjective) point of view | the story is told from the point of view of one of the characters, uses I |
| 2nd person point of view | the narrator addresses the reader, uses you |
| 3rd person (objective) point of view | the narrator is not part of the story and does not know what the characters think and feel, uses he, she, they, them |
| 3rd person limited point of view | the narrator is outside the story but reveals the thoughts of only one character |
| 3rd person omniscient point of view | the narrator is outside the story and knows all the characters thoughts, feelings, why they act the way they do, can reveal any or all events |
| Procedural | explains a process |
| Protagonist | The leading character or a major character in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text |
| Secondary characters | any character that is not a main character |
| Setting | the time and the place of the story |
| Simile | comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as” |
| Stereotype | traits, characteristics, and mannerisms supposedly shared by all members of a group |
| Subplot | the subordinate storyline to the main plot. Side stories. |
| Symbolism | when something or someone represents something or someone else |
| Theme | the main idea the author tries to get across to the reader |
| Tone | the writer’s attitude towards his or her audience and subject. |
| Universal | relating equally to everyone |
Created by:
chawkins0619
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