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Howes Literary Terms
Literary Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Plot | Sequence of events in a literary work |
| Exposition | Introduces the setting, characters, and basic situation |
| Rising Action | All events leading up to the climax |
| Climax | High point of interest or suspense |
| Falling Action | Events occurring after the climax |
| Resolution | A general insight or change is conveyed |
| Narrator | A speaker or character who tells the story |
| Point of View | Directs the type and amount of information the writer reveals. |
| First Person | Readers see only what this character sees, hear only what this character hears, and so on. |
| Omniscient | Can tell readers what all characters think and feel. |
| Third Person Limited | Sees the world through one character’s eyes and reveals only that character’s thoughts. |
| Setting | Time and place of the action. Includes historical period – past, present, and future – and also year, season, and time of day. Place may include geographical location and also social, economic, or cultural environment. |
| Character | A person or animal that takes part in the action of a literary work. |
| Static | Does not change |
| Dynamic | Develops and grows throughout the course of the story |
| Flat | Shows only one trait |
| Round | Shows many different traits – faults as well as virtues |
| Motivation | A reason that explains why a character thinks, feels, acts, or behaves in a certain way. |
| Conflict | A struggle between opposing forces |
| Internal Conflict | A character who struggles with him or herself. |
| External Conflict | Main character struggles against an outside force |
| Protagonist | The main character of a literary work |
| Antagonist | Character or force in conflict with a main character, or protagonist |
| Direct Characterization | The author directly states the character’s traits. |
| Indirect Characterization | The author provides clues about a character by describing what a character looks like, does, and says as well as how others react to him or her. |
| Figurative Language | Writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally. |
| Alliteration | Repetition of initial consonant sounds |
| Allusion | Reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art |
| Flashback | A means by which the authors present material that occurred earlier than the present tense of the narrative |
| Foreshadowing | The use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur |
| Imagery | Descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader often using the five senses |
| Irony | Differences between appearance and reality, or expectation and result |
| Verbal Irony | Words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant |
| Dramatic Irony | A contradiction between what the character thinks and what the reader knows to be true |
| Situational Irony | An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience |
| Metaphor | A figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else. |
| Simile | A figure of speech in which the words like, as or than are used to compare two apparently dissimilar items. |
| Symbolism | Anything that stands for something else. |
| Theme | Central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work |
| Tone | The writer’s attitude toward his or her audience and subject often described by a single adjective |
| Mood | A feeling created in the reader by a literary work |
| Onomatopoeia | The use of words that imitate sounds |
| Personification | A type of figurative language in which a nonhuman object is given human characteristics |
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