Literary Terms

Dystopian

cautionary tale with fictional societies where oppressive systems control individuals

Speculative Fiction

Imagined worlds and futures with elements absent in reality; reflection on society or human nature

Tragedy

downfall of a protagonist due to a fatal flaw

Comedy

using humor and wit to explore human experience and societal norms

History

narrative of past events through the triumphs and tragedies

Autobiography

first hand account of a person’ s life written by themselves

Bildungsroman

coming of age story that follows a protagonist from youth to adulthood

Memoir

a personal account of a person’s experience of life written by themselves

Poetry

form of literary expression that uses rhythmic qualities to evoke emotional responses and convey complex meanings

Author

creator of the story, creates the plot and characters

Speaker

voice of a character giving monologue/dialogue

Narrator

gives the perspective of the story and guides the reader. They can be a character or an observer

First Person POV

tells the story from the narrator’s perspective, uses pronouns I, me, we, us

Second Person POV

the reader is part of the story, uses pronoun you

Third Person POV

the narrator is not part of the story and the characters never acknowledge the narrator’s presence, uses pronouns he, she, they

Third Person Limited

the narrator tells the story from the perspective of a single character

Third Person Omniscient

full access to the thoughts and feelings of all characters

Subject

universal topic of a work

Theme

author’s universal statement on the subject

Global Issue

a universal theme throughout the book

Text Structure

the way information is organized in any type of writing is an authorial choice that should be considered when analyzing a work Examples - having an introduction, separating into chapters, separating into stanzas

Motif

image, symbol, word, or sound that is repeated throughout a work

Symbolism

use of objects, characters, words, or concepts to represent an abstract idea

Allegory

story, poem, or picture can be interpreted to reveal a moral or political meaning

Archetype

character, action, or situation that represents universal human nature, are universal symbols that recur across different cultures and historical periods

Stock Character/Character Archetype

a character that the audience recognizes across many narratives and are usually based on stereotypes or cliches

Violence

provides insight into external and internal conflicts between characters

Weather

helps to coney specific moods in literature, can set the scene and even add to the plot, can also represent change in characters; Example - sky is clear, showing moonlight in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Geography

affects the characters, can tell us theme, symbols, and plots, helps with imagery and character development, can show a change in parts of literature; Examples - change in location between savage location and London in BNW

Blindness

displays self-discovery, usually portrays contrast between two characters, used rarely, shows a lesson learned; Example - Tiresias

Disease

can relate to a change in the character’s life, symbolic for resentment and loneliness, can show character’s true emotions; Example - Linda’s condition in BNW

Flight

real reason is never the one stated, supposed to be educational, real reason is always self-knowledge, character is typically a young person; Example - Marjane at the end of Persepolis

Intertextuality

the connection between texts

Allusion

brief indirect reference to a person, event, or part of a text

Biblical allusions

allusion that references narratives, symbols, or characters from the Bible

Plot

events/what happens in a story

Exposition

beginning of the story, introduction of characters

Rising Action

building to the climax

Climax

exciting turning point of the story

Falling Action

follows climax and leads to resolution

Resolution

the end of the story

Flashbacks

provides insight into backstory and flow to the narrative of a story, used to fill in important details to the plot, Example - Marjane’s conversations with her grandmother

Foreshadowing

used to create suspense and curiosity, not and explicit telling of what is going to happen

Chronological order

used to show all events in a story in order, easiest way to display events for a reader to follow a story

Characterization

the process of making a character with depth that resonates with the audience

Direct Characterization

the author explicitly states aspects of a character through prose or dialogue

Indirect Characterization

the author reveals character through the actions and the internal monologues of a character

Naming Conventions

the name of a character can reveal aspects of their character; it can be an allusion or show how they carry themselves

Protagonist

leading character or one of the major characters in literature

Antagonist

the character that is presented as the main enemy or rival of the main character(s)

Secondary Character

character(s) that are important to the main story line and appear repeatedly throughout the story, but aren’t the focus of the main plot

Static Character

character that does not change throughout the work

Dynamic Character

character that changes throughout the work

Flat Character

character that lacks complexity or personality traits

Round Character

have complex emotions and developed thoughts

Character foil

characters that contrast in either personality or background

Parallel characters

characters that share many similarities like personalities, backgrounds, or motivations

Dramatic Irony

audience knows something the characters don’t, often seen in performing arts

Situational Irony

the opposite of what you would expect happens, often used to add humor

Verbal Irony

opposite of the literal meaning of what is used

Juxtaposition

contrasting ideas, images, and phrases

Antithesis

direct opposition of two ideas

Oxymoron

two words with opposite meaning together; typically used to enhance a phrase

Paradox

statement that contains 2 opposite characteristics making it so the statement contradicts itself

Cliches

overused phrase that has a lack of truth and importance in texts

Aphorism

short phrase that teaches an important lesson about life

Idiom

an expression that has a different implied meaning than its literal meaning

Pun

a joke with words that sound alike but have different meaning

Euphemism

mild/subtle phrase to replace harsh words

Alliteration

a series of the same letter or sound at the begging of adjacent or closely connected words

Onomatopoeia

a word from a sound associated with what is named

Consonance

repetition of identical or similar consonants in neighboring words

Assonance

repetition of the sound of a vowel

Simile

compares two things using like or as

Metaphor

compares two things WITHOUT using like or as

Indirect metaphor

a hint of connection at two things

Extended metaphor

used throughout a work to compare two things

Personification

gives human qualities to something that isn’t living

Imagery

visual descriptions in literary work

Auditory

type of imagery that relates to hearing

Tactile

type of imagery that relates to touch

Visual

type of imagery that relates to sight

Olfactory

type of imagery that relates to smell

Gustatory

type of imagery that relates to taste

Tone

the way a narrator/speaker/character speaks

Mood

the way a text makes the reader feel

Diction

the word choice the author uses

Denotation

the literal definition

Connotation

the suggest meaning

Stage Directions

written instructions about the actions of the performers and crew

Chorus

a group of people that represents the audience’s inner dialogue and give context to events in the play

Dialogue

a conversation between two or more people

Monologue

a speech spoken by a single person while others are around

Soliloquy

a monologue addressing a character’s inner thoughts while they’re alone

Aside

short comment that is delivered to the audience, the other characters cannot hear it

Satire

use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to exploit or ridicule flaws

Farce

a form of comedy that entertains viewers with exaggerated, improbable, adn ludacris situations

Parody

a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule

Inversion

when the writer changes the normal order of words

Transitions

moves the reader’s attention from one aspect of a scene to another