(ERICA) Short Fiction Literary Terms

Archetype

The pattern, character type, or symbol that appears across many different cultures or areas. (Goodman Brown is related to this because the snake is a reference to the bible and evil)

Essay

A short piece focused on presenting the authors argument, perspective or analysis on a specific topic. (In Goodman Brown the Dark Side Figure gives a speech)

Simile

A literary term using “like” or “as” in a sentence. (“The wind tolled like a distant church bell” This connects the evil forest and sacred church)

Allusion

An indirect reference to a well known person, place, or event that the writer expects the reader to recognize. (Faith, his wife and the word faith. His wife represents the evil side because she is unholy. The word faith represents Christianity and devotion to the religion)

Imagery

How to describe the senses or appeal of something. Smell, touch, sound, etc. It is used to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. (In Goodman Brown his serpent staff is an image of evil because a snake is evil [Adam and Eve])

Parable

A simple story that teaches morals and life lessons (The lesson in Young Goodman Brown is about human nature and how easy it is to be corrupted by society and be unfaithful)

Allegory

Story where elements such as characters, settings, and objects have meaning inside and outside the story (The main allegory focused in Young Goodman Brown is everyone is naive and thinks their community leaders are good)

Theme

The central idea of a story (Everyone has evil in them, loss of innocence, corruption of Goodman Brown)

Irony

The opposite of something that is said (When they tell Goodman Brown 2 people are being brought into communion but its really him and his wife)

Connotation

The emotional feeling behind a word that is said or used (Sin and loss of innocence are examples of connotations in Goodman Brown)

Satire

Using humor or irony in a piece of writing (The name “Goodman” is satire in itself because he is not actually a pure “good man” deep down because he gets corrupted by evil)

Diction

The choice in words and phrases that you use (They can be formal or not. In Goodman Brown the word “darkness” is written a lot, symbolizing danger or evil [light vs. dark])

Denotation

The textbook definition of a word (In Goodman Brown, “Pink Ribbons” is a great example of denotation because they represent youth and innocence before corruption of evil.)

Anecdote

Short stories told to entertain the audience and make connections (In Goodman Brown, the sight of Faith at the altar would be an anecdote because it symbolizes his last bit of hope and “faith”)

Metaphor

Describing something without using “like” or “as”. It’s also describing something in deeper meaning. (Goodman Brown’s journey into the evil dark woods would be a metaphor because it represents a loss of innocence.

Foreshadowing

Hints and clues that lead into a part that happens later in the story. (In Goodman Brown, Faith has bad dreams before Brown left are an example of foreshadowing because something bad did happen to she and Brown after he left.

Mood

Overall feeling of the literature.story [vibe] (The overall mood in Goodman Brown is eerie, evil, and religious. It’s all about Christianity but in reality all the town’s leaders are satanic)

Symbol

Something that represents a phrase, word, or theme (In Goodman Brown, a perfect symbol would be the Serpent Staff. In the Bible a serpent is often disguised as the devil)