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Literary Key Terms
Milestones Key Terms for Literary Texts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Literary texts | Literary texts are passages that are stories, dramas, or poems. |
| Inference | To infer means to come to a reasonable conclusion based on evidence found in the text. |
| Explicit | An idea or message is fully stated or revealed by the author. The author tells the reader exactly what he or she needs to know. |
| Theme | The theme of a literary text is its lesson or message. For example, a story could be about two friends who like to do things together, and the theme might be the importance of friendship. |
| Central Idea | The central idea is the most important point or idea that the author is making in a passage. The central idea is also known as the main idea. |
| Objective Summary | An objective summary is an overview of a passage that captures the main points but does not give every detail and does not include opinions. |
| Plot | The specific order of a series of events that form a story is known as the plot. |
| Characterization | Characterization refers to the way an author develops a character over the course of a passage. |
| Setting | Setting refers to where and when a story takes place, including the time of day, the season, or the location. |
| Resolution | In most stories, there is a conflict or problem. The resolution is the solution to the problem or the end of the main dramatic conflict. |
| Figurative Language | Language that uses figures of speech, the meaning is not meant to be taken literally. |
| Literal meaning | Refers to the actual meaning of a word or phrase. |
| Personification | When a writer describes an object as if it were a person, he or she is using personification; for example, The trees sighed in the afternoon breeze. The trees cannot really sigh but seemed to as they moved gently in the breeze. |
| Simile | A simile is a comparison using like or as; for example, She is as pretty as a picture. |
| Metaphor | A metaphor is a direct comparison that states one thing is another. It isn’t meant to be literal, but descriptive. For example, if someone describes recess by saying that it was a zoo, he or she is using a metaphor. |
| Hyperbole | Hyperbole is exaggeration beyond belief. My father can lift two tons is an example of hyperbole. |
| Idiom | An idiom is a quirky expression or saying that is specific to a language. I’ve been on cloud nine all day! is an expression used in the English language to express that someone is having a great day. |
| Alliteration | Alliteration is the use of the same sound to start several words in a row; for example, The beautiful butterfly blew by the bay. Literary devices such as alliteration can have a big impact on poems, stories, and dramas. |
| Connotative meaning | A meaning beyond the explicit meaning of a word is known as a connotative meaning. For example, the word childlike connotes innocence. Connotations are meanings inferred from certain words. |
| Sonnet | A sonnet is a form of poetry that contains fourteen lines and a special rhyme scheme. |
| Stanza | Sections of a poem. Paragraph of a poem. |
| Point of View | The perspective from which a story is told is called the point of view. It depends on who the narrator is and how much they know. Types: 1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person |
| Compare and Contrast | Though similar, comparing is analyzing two things, such as characters or stories, in relation to each other, while contrasting is specifically analyzing the differences between two things, such as two different characters or stories |
| Genre | A genre is the category of a text, such as fiction or nonfiction. Each genre has a particular style, form, and content. |
| Historical account | A historical account is a factual description of situations, occasions, or events that actually occurred in the past. |
| Fictional portrayal | An imaginative description of situations, occasions, or events that may or may not have actually happened in the past. It is based on actual historical events, details may be changed or characters may be added to enhance the emotional impact. |
| Soliloquy | A speech in a literary text or drama in which a character tells the audience how he or she feels by talking to herself or himself. It can help the audience gain understanding of a character’s inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations. |
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oberholtzerm
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