Literary Terms 10F

Antagonist

The person, thing, circumstances or inner problem that makes conflict for the main character

Protagonist

The main character of the plot

Audience

People who read, watch or listen to something

Character

A person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story

Characterization

Elements of a character revealed by actions, dialogue, others' comments, or author description

Chorus

Actors who describe/comment on the main action with song or dance

Dialogue

Conversations between 2 or more characters

Dynamic character

A character that goes through growth and change

Round character

A fully developed character with many traits

Flat character

A character who stays the same and lacks growth

Static character

A character showing little to no change

Foil character

Two characters with opposite traits used for contrast

Hamartia

A tragic flaw leading to downfall

Hubris

Overconfidence leading to downfall

Pathos

A plotline that evokes pity or sadness

Persona

A mask a character uses to hide

Sentimentality

Being emotional for its own sake

Stereotypical character

A generalized, predictable character

Analogy

Comparing two different things; may use simile/metaphor

Anticlimactic

A disappointing or unexpected drop from the climax

Apologue

A story with personified animals commenting on human conditions

Personification

Giving objects human traits

Archetype

Ancient universal images in the collective unconscious

Arrangement

Organizing story details for impact

Catharsis

Releasing emotions through art

Clarity

Being clear

Rising action

Events leading to the climax

Climax

The highest point of interest or suspense

Coherence

Logical order and connection between ideas

Complication

An obstacle the protagonist must overcome

Conclusion

The end of the story; ties loose ends

Denouement

Details of the plot's outcome

Resolution

How the conflict is solved

Conflict

The struggle between two forces

Couplet

Two consecutive rhyming lines

Sonnet

A 14-line poem with specific rhyme patterns

Dramatic irony

When the audience knows something the characters don't

External conflict

Character vs character/society/nature/supernatural

Internal conflict

Character vs mind/heart

Flashback

An event from before the story's main timeline

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about future events

Genre

A category or type of book

Incongruity

Lack of harmony or agreement

Initial incident

The first obstacle leading into rising action

Introduction

The beginning where characters are introduced

Subplot

A second complete plotline

Suspense

Feelings of tension, anxiety, anticipation

Irony

When the opposite of what's expected happens

Types of irony

Verbal / Situational / Dramatic

Novella

A brief but well-developed work longer than a short story

Parable

A short story with a moral or religious lesson

Paradox

A self-contradicting statement

Plausibility

How believable the story or characters are

Plot

The chain of events in a story

Point of view

The narration perspective

Unity

A story with one protagonist, antagonist, and plot

Allegory

A story with a deeper meaning

Allusion

A biblical, literary, or classical reference

Anaphora

Repetition of a word at the beginning of sentences/clauses

Aphorism

A short, wise statement

Apostrophe

Addressing someone dead, absent, or non-human

Aside

A statement meant only for the audience or oneself

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Atmosphere

The overall feeling based on actions and setting

Autobiography

A life story written by the person themself

Bias

Unfair one-sided liking or disliking

Biography

A life story written by someone else

Cliché

An overused idea or phrase

Colloquialism

Everyday casual words/phrases

Connotation

Feelings attached to a word

Denotation

Dictionary definition

Dystopian

A future society gone wrong or unfair

Epic

An extended story about a hero

Fantasy

A genre with impossible events

1st Person narration

Story told by the character (I, me, my)

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration

Idiom

A phrase with a meaning different from its literal words

Imagery

Descriptive language that paints a picture

Literal imagery

Exact, non-exaggerated description

Local colour

Cultural/custom details of a region

Metaphor

Direct comparison without "like" or "as"

Mood

The feeling the writing gives the audience

Motif

A repeated symbol, theme, or idea

Omniscient narration

All-knowing narrator

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds

Oxymoron

Two opposite words together

Pathetic fallacy

Giving nature human emotions

Pun

A play on words

Science fiction

Futuristic "what if" stories with science/tech

Setting

Where and when the story takes place

Simile

Comparison using "like" or "as"

Soliloquy

A character's thoughts spoken aloud

Stream of consciousness

Writing that mimics natural thought flow

Style

An author's way of writing

Structure

How something is organized

3rd Person narration

Story told by someone outside the story

Tone

The author's attitude toward the story