English 10H Literary Terms

Point of View

perspective which the story is told from

first person

the narrator uses pronouns such as “I”, “me”, “we”, and “us” and is often but not always, the main character in the story

third person

the narrator uses “he”, “she”, “they”, and “them” and is not usually a character within the story

omniscient narrator

one who knows what every character is thinking and can move easily through time

limited omniscient narrator

one who knows the thoughts of only one character

objective narrator

one who reports the actions and dialogue of the characters and describes the setting but does not move into the thoughts of any of the characters

second person

used very rarely, uses the pronouns “you” to address the reader directly. treats the reader like a character within the story

Characterization

representation of the traits, motives, and psychology a character

direct characterization

when the author explicitly comments on or describes a character

indirect characterization

when the author develops the character through things the character does and says, or what others say to or about the character. the reader is expected to infer certain aspects of the character

flat character

can be easily and accurately described using a single word, lacking complexity

round character

fully fleshed out and multi-faceted personalities, backgrounds, desires and motivations

static character

do not undergo any substantial internal changes as a result of the story’s major plot developments

Plot

events that take place in the text and arrangement of those events

Conflict

struggle between protagonist and antagonist; character vs. character, character vs. society, character vs. nature, character vs. self

Setting

establishes the location, time period and cultural background

diction

word choice in a speech or text

denotation

the literal meaning of a word, free from any associated meanings

connotation

the cultural or emotional associations attached to a word

syntax

sentence structure

figurative language

words or phrases that are not meant to be taken literally

metaphor

a direct comparison between two things

simile

a comparison between unlike things using “like” or “as”

hyperbole

a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement

personification

giving human qualities to inanimate objects

allusion

a reference to something well known in literature, art, history, mythology, or religion

understatement

figure of speech in which something is expressed less strongly than would be expected, or in which something is presented as being smaller, worse, or lesser than it really is

oxymoron

a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point

apostrophe

figure of speech in which a speaker addresses someone or something that is not present and cannot respond in reality

Tone

general character or attitude of a literary work

Mood

general atmosphere or emotional complexion of a literary work

Imagery

descriptive language that engages the human senses

Symbol

literary device where an author uses one thing to represent something more abstract

Irony

literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are

verbal irony

figure of speech in which the literal meaning of what someone says is different from and sometimes opposite of what they actually mean

dramatic irony

plot device that highlights the difference between a character’s understand of a given situation, and that of the audience

situational irony

an unexpected, paradoxical or perverse turn of events

Aphorism

a saying that concisely expresses a moral principle or an observation about the world, presenting it as a general or universal truth

Repetition

literary device in which a word or phrase is repeated two or more times

anaphora

figure of speech in which words repeat at the beginning of successive clauses, phrases, or sentences

epistrophe

figure of speech in which words repeat at the end of successive, phrases, clauses, or sentences

Paradox

a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason

Parallelism

a figure of speech in which two or more elements of a sentence have the same grammatical structure

Euphemism

a word or phrase that softens an uncomfortable topic

Catalog

a collection of people, objects, ideas and other elements in list form

Stream of consciousness

style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating sensory impressions, incomplete ideas, unusual syntax, and rough grammar

Motif

element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature

Allegory

a story, poem or painting in which the characters, events, or images extend beyond the confines of the work to reveal deeper meanings, usually moral or political

Antithesis

a figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other