English Literary Terms

Non-Fiction

Writing that is true or factual.

Fiction

Writing that is not true; it comes from the writer's imagination.

Subplot

A minor storyline, secondary to the main plot.

Plot

A series of interwoven events that make up a story.

Antecedent Action

Significant action that takes place before the story begins.

Exposition

Background information the reader needs to know to understand the story.

Introduction

Catches the reader's interest, introduces characters and setting.

Rising Action

Builds towards the climax, conflict develops or becomes more complicated.

Climax

The turning point of the story, the highest point of emotional intensity.

Anticlimax

Occurs if the climax is a let-down to what was expected, a sudden shift from a serious or elevated mood to a comical or trivial one.

Falling Action

Part of the story that immediately follows the climax and lasts until the end, leads to an ending which becomes increasingly inevitable, conflicts are solved.

Denouement

'Unknotting' of a plot and conflict after the climax.

Suspense

Anxiousness or uncertainty about the outcome of an action.

Mystery

Something not understood or beyond understanding, something which baffles, confuses, or bewilders.

Dilemma

A choice between two courses of action, both of which are distasteful.

Predicament

A situation that is difficult to get out of or presents a problem that is too difficult to solve.

Conflict

The struggle or confrontation between a protagonist and an opposing force or within himself.

Internal Conflict

The struggle between a character and himself/herself.

External Conflict

The struggle between a character and an outside force.

Physical Setting

Where a story takes place.

Chronological Setting

When a story takes place.

Mood or Atmosphere

The feeling or emotional colouring of the story (e.g., haunting, peaceful, sad).

Theme

The central idea of a story; is implied rather than directly stated and represents a suggestion about human life.

Moral

A lesson or message the author wants the reader to learn from the story; is an instruction.

Protagonist

The main character around whom the action revolves.

Antagonist

A character in opposition to or in conflict with the protagonist; not always the 'bad guy.'

Round Character

Well-developed and complex characters described in great detail.

Flat Character

Not well-developed, one-dimensional characters that readers do not learn much about.

Dynamic Character

A character that undergoes a change during the story.

Static Character

A character that has no significant changes during the story.

Stereotype

A character that fits a fixed pattern and is a familiar figure in fiction.

Stock Character

A standard supporting character that is also a flat character.

Motivation

The causes of a character's actions that must be sufficient and plausible to make the story realistic.

Foil

A character whose behavior, attitudes, and opinions contrast with those of the protagonist, helping the reader understand the protagonist better.

Antihero

A protagonist who has none of the qualities normally expected of a hero.

Epiphany

A moment of significant realization and insight experienced by the protagonist.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues given by the author about what will happen later in the story.

Flashback

A quick review of past facts or events, interrupting the current narrative.

Irony

A literary device that reveals opposite or contradictory meanings.

Verbal Irony

When what is said turns out differently from what is expected.

Situational Irony

When what happens turns out differently from what is expected.

Dramatic Irony

Contrast between what a character says and thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true.

Dialogue

What is spoken by the characters in a story, creating natural situations and revealing character traits.

Dialect

A form of speech characteristic of a geographic type or personality.

Pun

A play on words, often humorous.

Parody

A humorous imitation of a serious writing.

Satire

The use of sarcasm or irony to ridicule an idea, person, or thing to provoke change.

Contrast

The overlap or mixing of situations, characters, settings, moods, or points of view to clarify meaning or enhance mood.

Juxtaposition

The dramatic contrasts that are deliberately placed side by side within a story.

Style

The manner in which the author expresses thoughts and feelings through diction, sentences, and images.

Tone

The writer's attitude revealed through word choice and figures of speech.

Symbolism

Using one thing to stand for or represent something else, may be an object, person, situation, or action.

Imagery

Descriptions and figures of speech that help the mind to form pictures.

Realism

Any subject matter or techniques that create a true-to-life impression for the reader.

Verisimilitude

A life-like quality possessed by a story as revealed through its plot, setting, conflict, and characterization.

Vicarious experience

The feeling a reader has when becoming emotionally and imaginatively involved in a story.

Allusion

A brief reference to a familiar figure, place, or event from history, literature, mythology, or the Bible.

Universality

A story that is broad enough to be applied to most people at any time or place.

Syntax

The arrangement of words to form sentences, clauses, or phrases.

Diction

Style of writing; the manner of expressing ideas in words.

Analogy

A comparison of two or more similar objects.

Anecdote

A short summary of a humorous event to make a point.

Epitaph

A short verse written in memory of someone.

Expository

A kind of writing that explains something.

Gothic

Characterized by mystery, castles, supernatural events, and old mansions.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech that is an exaggeration or overstatement.

Malapropism

Humorous misuse of words due to two similar words.

Novella

A story longer than a short story but not as long or complex as a novel.

Soliloquy

A monologue revealing the thoughts of a character, usually alone on stage.

Allegory

A narrative with at least two levels of meaning: the literal and the moral.

Ambiguity

Any word usage which allows room for alternative reactions.

Ambivalence

A term used when alternatives exist in the quality of a poet’s experience; responses to the same person or situation in different ways.

Apostrophe

Addressing a person not present or a personified abstraction.

Ballad

A song that tells a story, featuring refrains and supernatural elements.

Elegy

A serious meditative poem concerned with death or loss.

Euphony

The use of pleasant and musical diction.

Explication

Close examination of a poem, including diction, content, poetic devices, and imagery.

Metonymy

A figure of speech where the name of one thing is substituted for another related to it.

Octave (Octet)

The first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet.

Ode

A long, serious lyric poem, often a poem of praise.

Parable

A short allegorical tale intended to teach a moral lesson.

Parallelism

A balance of grammatical elements in lines of poetry or prose.

Refrain

The repetition of a phrase or line at the same point in each stanza of a poem.

Stream of consciousness

A style of writing reflecting the thoughts and feelings of a character without logic or interruption.

Character sketch

A description of a character’s moral and dispositional qualities using specific examples from a story.

Indeterminate ending

A story ending in which there is no clear outcome.

Omniscent POV

A narrative perspective allowing the narrator to know everything about all characters.

Limited Omniscent POV

A narrative perspective focusing on the thoughts and feelings of a single character.

Objective or Dramatic POV

Presents events and dialogue without revealing characters' inner thoughts or feelings.