Literary Elements & Devices – Lecture Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key literary terms, elements, and devices from the lecture notes to aid exam preparation.

Personal Response

A reader’s own observations, feelings, and opinions about a story’s characters, themes, or situations.

Protagonist

The main character in a story; champion of the central cause.

Antagonist

The character or force opposing the protagonist; the ‘bad guy’ or obstacle.

Stereotype

A character presented in a predictable, conventional manner (e.g., the bully, the nerd).

Caricature

A character with one trait exaggerated above all others, such as extreme selfishness or foolishness.

Setting

The time, place, and circumstances of a story that shape mood and reveal plot or character.

Initial Situation

The circumstances at the very beginning of a story.

Inciting Force

The incident that sets the plot in motion and starts the main conflict.

Rising Action

Events that build tension and lead up to the climax.

Climax

The story’s highest point of interest or turning point.

Turning Point

The moment after the climax when events begin to shift toward resolution.

Falling Action

Events that clarify the climax, explain the ending, or hint at the story’s message.

Plot

The planned series of related incidents outlining the protagonist’s conflict.

Foreshadowing

Hints or indications of events that will occur later in the story.

Foreboding

An omen or feeling that trouble or evil is impending.

Irony of Situation

When the actual outcome is opposite to what the characters or audience expect.

Verbal Irony

When a character says one thing but means the opposite; often sarcastic.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows more about a character’s situation than the character does.

Theme

The central idea or lesson conveyed through plot, character, setting, and conflict.

Person vs. Person

Conflict between one character and another character.

Person vs. Self

Internal conflict within a character’s own mind or conscience.

Person vs. Nature

Conflict between a character and elements of nature (e.g., a blizzard, hurricane).

Person vs. Fate

Conflict between a character and forces beyond their control (destiny, gods).

Person vs. Society

Conflict between a character and societal rules, laws, or traditions.

Atmosphere

The feeling or mood created in a work and experienced by readers.

Mood

The emotional response a reader feels while reading a text (e.g., fear, joy).

Suspense

Anxiety or uncertainty about the outcome of events.

Contrast

Placing opposing scenes, characters, or settings side-by-side to highlight differences.

Foil

A character who contrasts with another to emphasize particular qualities.

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told.

First-Person Point of View

Narration by a character within the story using “I” or “me.”

Third-Person Omniscient

An outside narrator who knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.

Third-Person Limited Omniscient

An outside narrator who reveals the thoughts and feelings of only one character.

Third-Person Objective

An outside narrator who reports only actions and dialogue, not inner thoughts.

Symbolism

Objects or actions that represent larger ideas or meanings.

Imagery

Language that evokes sensory impressions or creates vivid pictures.

Pathos

A feeling of pity or sorrow evoked in the reader for characters or situations.

Sympathy

Feeling along with another person’s emotional state (fellow-feeling).

Empathy

Identification with another’s feelings through shared experience.

Microcosm

A small, self-contained unit reflecting the qualities of something larger.

Catharsis

Emotional cleansing or release experienced by a character (and audience) through the plot.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a well-known event, person, place, or work of art.

Pathetic Fallacy

When weather or environment reflects the emotions of characters or events.

Flashback (Analepsis)

A narrative shift to events that occurred before the current storyline.

Comic Relief

Humorous scenes or characters introduced into a serious work to lighten the mood.

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character speaks thoughts aloud, unheard by other characters.

Aside

Brief remarks to the audience, unheard by other characters, revealing true feelings or intentions.

Genre

A category or type of literature or film (e.g., comedy, horror).

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis (e.g., “I’ve waited forever”).

Tone

The author’s attitude toward the subject, conveyed through style and word choice.

Simile

A comparison using “like” or “as” (e.g., “Her smile is like sunshine”).

Metaphor

A direct comparison without “like” or “as” (e.g., “Time is a thief”).

Pun

A play on words exploiting multiple meanings (e.g., Mercutio’s ‘grave man’).

Personification

Giving human qualities to animals or inanimate objects (e.g., “The wind whispered”).

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate natural sounds (e.g., buzz, splash).

Oxymoron

A phrase combining contradictory terms (e.g., “bittersweet,” “jumbo shrimp”).

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds (e.g., “She sells seashells”).

Cliché

An overused expression that has lost its impact (e.g., “at the end of the day”).

Paradox

A seemingly self-contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth (e.g., “Less is more”).

Tragic Hero

A character capable of greatness who suffers downfall leading to destruction.

Modern Tragic Hero

An ordinary person crushed by societal forces despite great effort; society unchanged by the loss.

Classical Tragic Hero

A high-status figure with a fatal flaw whose actions cause widespread suffering and who realizes errors before death.

Idiom

An expression whose meaning cannot be inferred from its individual words (e.g., “Kick the bucket”).

Euphemism

A mild phrase substituted for a harsher one (e.g., “passed away” for “died”).

Understatement

A restrained statement that downplays the full extent of facts or feelings.

Connotation

The emotional or associative meaning of a word beyond its dictionary definition.

Denotation

The literal, dictionary definition of a word.