Literary Terms 2024-25

fiction

prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events. Short stories and novels are examples of this type of writing. Some writers base their writing on actual events and people, adding invented characters, dialogue, settings, and plots. Other writers rely on imagination alone.

novel

a long work of fiction

novella

a work of fiction that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel

short story

a brief work of fiction. Like a novel, it presents a sequence of events, or plot. The plot usually deals with a central conflict by a main character, or protagonist. The events usually communicate a message about life or human nature. This message, or central idea, is the story’s theme.

plot

sequence of events in which each event results from a previous one and causes the next. In most novels, dramas, short stories, and narrative poems, it involves both characters and a central conflict.

exposition

introduces the setting (the time and place of the story), the characters, and the basic situation (conflict is often introduced at the end of this part of the plot)

rising action

events that increase the tension

climax

the turning point in the story. It is the high point in the action of the plot. It is the moment of greatest when the outcome of the plot hangs in the balance.

Falling action

is the part of a story when the conflict lessens; events that follow the climax

resolution

is the story’s conclusion; final outcome is achieved ;loose ends are tied up

character

a person or an animal that takes part in the action of literary work. The main, or major, one is the most important one in the story, poem, or play. A minor one is one who takes part in the action but is not the focus of attention.

setting

the time and place of the action. It includes all the details of a place and time - the year, the time of day, even the weather.

theme

central message, concern, or purpose in a literary work. It can usually be expressed as a general statement, about human beings or about life. It is not a summary of this plot.

point of view

the perspective, or vantage point, from which a story is told. It is either a narrator outside of the story or a character in the story.

conflict

a struggle between two opposing forces. It is one of the most important elements in stories, novels, and plays because it causes the action. There are two types: external and internal.

flashback

a scene within a story that interrupts the sequence of events to relate events that occurred in the past

foreshadowing

the author’s use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story

external conflict

One in which a character struggles against some kind of outside force, such as another person. Another one may occur between a character and some force in nature.

Internal conflict

It takes place within the mind of a character. The character struggles to make a decision, take an action, or overcome a feeling.

First-person point of view

Told by a character who uses the first-person pronoun “I”.

Third-person point of view

There are two kinds, limited and Omniscient. They are called “third person” because the narrator uses third-person pronouns such as he or she to refer to the characters.

Omniscient point of view

In stories told from this point of view, the narrator knows and tells about what EACH character fells and thinks.

Limited point of view

In stories told from this point of view, the narrator relates the inner thoughts and feelings of only ONE character, and everything is viewed from this character’s perspective.

Dialect

The form of a language spoken by different people in a particular region or group. They differ in pronunciation, grammar, and word choice. The use of it gives a short story a more authentic feel and helps a character’s words sound more realistic.

Dialogue

A conversation between the characters. In poems, novels, and short stories, it is usually set off by quotation marks to indicate a speaker’s exact words.

Protaganist

The main character in a literary work. It is often a person but sometimes it can be an animal.

Antagonist

This is a character or a force in conflict with the main character.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial constant sounds. Writers use this device to draw attention to certain words, ideas, to imitate sounds, and to create musical effects.

Tone

The writer’s attitude toward his or her audience and subject. It can often be described by a single adjective, such as formal or informal, serious or playful, bitter, or ironic.

Mood

The feeling created in the read by a literary work or passage. It is also known as atmosphere.

Figurative language

is writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally. The many types are known as figures of speech. Common figures of speech include metaphor, personification, and simile. Writers use these techniques to state ideas in vivid and imaginative ways.

Hyperbole

a form of figurative language that uses exaggeration for effect

Imagery

a technique of writing with images

Images

words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses. Writers use these to describe how their subjects look, sound, feel, taste, and smell.

Metaphor

a figure of speech in which something is described as though it were something else. It works by pointing out a similarity between two unlike things.

Motive

a reason that explains or partially explains a character’s thoughts, feelings, actions, or speech as clear as possible.

Narrative

a story. Novels and short stories are fictional examples. Biographies and autobiographies are nonfiction examples.

Onomatopeia

is the use of words that imitate sounds. Crash, buzz, screech, hiss, neigh, jingle, and cluck are all examples.

Personification

figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics

Repetition

the use, more than once, of any element of language - a sound, word, phrase, clause, or sentence.

Simile

a figure of speech that uses like or as to make a direct comparison between two unlikely ideas. Everyday speech contains these, such as “pale as a ghost,” “good as gold,” “spread like wildfire,” and “clever as a fox.”

Symbol

anything that stands for or represents something else. These are common in everyday life. A dove with an olive tree branch in its beak means peace. A blindfolded woman holding a balanced scale stands for justice.

Universal theme

a message about life that is expressed regularly in many different cultures and time periods. Folk tales, epics, and romances often contain these like importance of courage, power of love, or danger of greed.

Allusion

a reference to something else. In literature, it’s frequently used to reference cultural works (e.g. a biblical story or Greek myth).

comedy

a literary work, especially a play, which is light, often humorous or satirical, and ends happily. They frequently depict ordinary characters faced with temporary difficulties and conflicts

drama

a story written to be preformed by actors. Although it is meant to be be preformed, one can also read the script, or written version, and imagine the action.

script

made up of dialogue and stage directions

dialogue

the words spoken by the actors

acts

this is how drama is divided

stage directions

notes included in drama to describe how the work is to be performed or staged. These are usually printed in italics and enclosed within parentheses or brackets. They describe the movements, costumes, emotional states, and ways of speaking of the characters.

scene

a section of uninterrupted action in the act of a drama

playwright

a person who writes plays

tragedy

a work of literature, especially a play, that results. in a certain catastrophe for the main character. In modern drama, the main character can be an ordinary person, and the cause of it can be some evil in society itself.

set

the scenery used for a play of a movie

theater

a building or outdoor area in which plays and other dramatic performances are given

prop

a portable object other than furniture or costumes used on the set of a play or movie

Static Character (flat)

one-sided and often stereotypical

Dynamic Character (round)

fully developed and exhibits many traits - often both fualts and virtues

Characterization

the act of creating and developing a character. Authors use two types of characterization: direct and indirect.

Tragedy

a genre of story in which a hero is brought down by his'/her own flaws, usually by ordinary human flaws - flaws like greed, over-ambition, or even an excess of love, honor, or loyalty

Tragic hero

a type of character in a tragedy and is usually the protagonist. They typically have heroic traits that earn them sypathy of the audience but also have flaws or make mistakes that ultimately lead to their downfall. (In Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet",” Romeo is a tragic hero. His reckless passion in love, which makes him a compelling character, also leads directly to the tragedy of his death.”

Indirect characterization

a writer depends on the reader. to draw conclusions about the character’s traits. Sometimes writers tells what other participants in the story say and think about a character

Direct characterization

a writer states the character’s traits or characteristics

Pun

a joke based on the interplay of homophones - words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. It can also play with words that sound similar, but not exactly the same. The joke’s humor (if any) comes from the confusion of the two meanings

Oxymoron

a figure of speech that links two apposites or contradictory words, to point out an idea or situation that seems contradictory or inconsistent but on closer inspection turns out to be true (jumbo shrimp)