Literary Terms 1

anticlimax

an effect that spoils a climax, Adj:Anticlimactic

archetype

A pattern or model of an action, a character type, or an image that recurs consistently enough in life and literature to be considered universal.

characterization

the method by which an author creates the appearance and personality of imaginary persons. (1) to tell the reader what the character is like through narration. (2)show what a character is like through actions and dialogue or(3) have the character reveal him/herself through inner thoughts

confidant/confidante

someone that the protagonist talks to, enabling the audience or reader to become aware of the protagonist's motivation

dystopia

an undesirable imaginary society

explication de texte

the detailed analysis, or close reading of a passage of verse or prose. Such explication seeks to make meaning clear through a painstaking examination and explanation of style, language, symbolism and the relationship of parts to the whole

incident

an event or episode in a work of fiction that moves the plot forward or reveals a character

motif

a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object or situation that appears in various works or throughout the same work

motivation

the psychological and moral impulses and external circumstances that cause a character to act, think, or feel a certain way

narrative voice

the attitude, personality or character of the narrator as it is revealed through dialogue or descriptive and narrative commentary

point of view

the vantage point, or stance, from which a story is told; the eye and mind through which the action is perceived and filtered, sometimes referred to as the "narrative perspective"

first person

the story is told by one of its characters, using the first person pronoun "I" which does not give the reader insight into other characters' motives or thoughts

third person objective

the author limits him/herself to reporting what the characters say or do; he or she does not interpret their behavior or tell us their private thoughts or feelings.

third person omniscient

the author knows all (godlike) and is free to tell us anything, including what the characters are thinking or feeling and why they act as they do.

third person limited

the author limits him/herself to a complete knowledge of one character in the story and tells us only what that one character feels, thinks, sees or hears.

reliability

the extent to which a narrator can be trusted or believed. the closer the narrator is to the story , the more his judgement will be influenced by forces in the story

stereotype

a character who represents a trait that is usually attributed to a particular social or racial group and who lacks individuality

subplot

a secondary series of events that are subordinate to the main story; a story within a story.

suspense

quality that makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events

suspension of disbelief

the demand made of an audience to provide some details with their imagination and to accept the limitations of reality and staging; also the acceptance of the incidents of a plot by a reader

symbol

anything that stands for or represents something else beyond it, usually an idea conventionally associated with it

theme

an abstract idea that emerges from a literary work's treatment of its subject matter, or a topic recurring in a number of literary works. Themes include love, war, revenge, betrayal, fate, etc.

utopia

a desirable imaginary society