ENGLISH LITERARY TERMS

Literature

Imaginative or creative writing. It is enjoyable or written expression of an important story, idea, feeling or emotion. All literature is divided into types called genres.

Prose

The ordinary form of written or spoken language in paragraph and sentence form without rhyme or meter.

Fiction

A literary work which portrays characters and events that are imaginary (not factual).

Non-fiction

A literary work which portrays characters and events which are true (a factual account).

Short story

A short, prose, fictional narrative about only a few characters involved in a single experience. A narrative tells a story.

Novel 

A long, prose, fictional narrative containing many characters who go through a series of experiences (plot, conflict) against a detailed background.  It contains more incidents and, therefore, has a more detailed plot than does a short story.

Drama

A play is a narrative written in dialogue for the stage.

Comedy

A form of drama in which the protagonist or main character is successful in overcoming the antagonist.

Tragedy 

A form of drama in which the antagonist overcomes the protagonist.

Protagonist 

The main character of a literary work who attempts to overcome a conflict and succeeds in achieving his/her goal.

Antagonist

the force or character which fights against the protagonist.

Essay

A short, prose work expressing a personal experience or personal point of view.

Biography

A factual representation of an individual’s life that is written by another person.

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word.  Everyone will have the same answer.

Autobiography 

A factual presentation of the author’s lifethat is written by the author.

Connotation

The ideas or feeling that a word gives you.  This may be based on your experience with the word.  Everyone may have a different idea about the word.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that is a combination of words that have opposite or very opposite meanings of each other.  Ex: jumbo shrimp.

Metaphor

A comparison of things with like characteristics.  This comparison does not use the words like or as.

Simile

A comparison of things with similar characteristics using the words like or as.

Symbolism

Something that represents, stands for something else.

Personification

Giving human characteristics or traits to something that is not human. Ex: The snowflakes danced in the cold winter breeze.

Flashback

An interruption in the chronological narrative of the story.  It presents readers with a description of an event that occurred earlier than the events in the story.  This provides background information about the character and deepens the understanding of the present action.

Allusion

A reference in a work of literature to a well-known character, place, or situation from another work of literature, music, art, or from history.

Irony

An unexpected turn of events in a story. A plot twist that is the opposite of what the reader expected to happen.

Foreshadowing 

An author’s use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in the story.

External conflict

A struggle between characters or between a character and external forces, such as nature or society (Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature).

Internal conflict

A struggle within a character, often involving personal dilemmas or moral choices (Man vs. Self).

Theme

The central message or moral of a literary work, such as 'Good triumphs over evil' or 'The power of friendship'.

Point of view

• The perspective from which the story is told, including first-person and omniscient narrators, influencing reader interpretation.

Atmosphere

The setting and mood of the story, reflecting the author's emotional tone and enhancing reader engagement.

Plot

The sequence of events in a story, focusing on cause and effect relationships that drive the narrative forward.

Characterization

The development of characters through detailed descriptions, revealing their traits, motivations, and conflicts.

Climax

The high point of the story marking the decisive moment of the action.

Resolution

The falling action from the climax where conflicts or problems are resolved.