Literary Terms
flat character
a character that, having only one or two traits is easily described and one-dimensional
dynamic character
a character who changes in some important way as a result of what happens in the story
static character
a character who remains the same or changes very little from beginning or end
stereotype character
a character whose personality traits represent a group rather than an individual
heroic or homeric simile
a comparison as described above except that the comparison is extended and explains heroic or epic events in terms of everyday happenings
irony
a contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality
metaphor
a figure of speech that compares two unlike things in which one thing becomes another thing (or is another thing) without the use of the words "like," "as," "than," or resembles"
simile
a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using a term such as "like," "as," resembles," or "than"
poetry
a kind of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery designed to appeal to our emotions and imaginations
genre
a kind of type of literature
fiction
a literary work portraying imaginery characters and events
novel
a long fictional story with uses all the elements of storytelling
epic
a long story told in poetry relating deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of this society
personification
a metaphor in which a non-human thing or quality is talked about as if it were human
extended metaphor
a metaphor that is extended or developed, over several lines of writing or throughout an entire poem
foil character
a pair of characters who are opposites but share similar thoughts
character
a person in a story
symbol
a person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself
tragedy
a play, novel, or other narrative depicting serious events in which the main character comes in an unhappy end
round character
a realistic character that has many different character traits
allusion
a reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing well known from literature, history, religion, pop culture, etc.
essay
a short piece of nonfiction prose that examines a single subject
paradox
a statement that appears contradictory but which may be shown to contain a truth
comedy
a story that aims to amuse and end happily
drama
a story that is written to be acted out in front of an audience
conflict
a struggle or clash between opposing characters or forces
diction
a writer's or speaker's choice of words
epithet
an adjective or other descriptive phrase that is regularly used to characterize a person, place, or thing
catharsis
an emotional release which brings about renewal of the self or welcome relief from anxiety, tension, etc.
monologue
an extended speech given by one speaker
antagonist
an obstacle to the protagonist or character who is involved in the most important conflict with the protagonist
hubris
arrogance; excessive self-pride and self-confidence, especially in reference to Greek tragic heroes whose pride led them to ignore warnings from the gods and thus invite catastrophe
mood
atmosphere; feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage
foreshadowing
clues which hint at events to come in a play or story
suspense
feeling of growing uncertainty about the outcome of events in a story or play
science fiction
fiction of a highly imaginative or fantastic kind, generally involving some actual or projected scientific phenomenon
imagery
language that appeals to any of the senses
prose
literary expression not marked by rhyme or metrical regularity
third person limited
narrator (not a character) focuses on thoughts and feelings of one of the characters
third person omniscient
narrator knows everything about characters and various situations
first person narrator
one of the characters tells the story using "I"
narrator
one who tells a story
external conflict
person v. person person v. society person v. nature/environment
internal conflict
person v. self
juxtaposition
placing two ideas or characters"side by side" for comparison or contrast
nonfiction
prose writing that deals with real people, events, and places
conotation
something suggested or implied, not actually stated
myth
story involving fantasy to express ideas about life that cannot be expressed easily in realistic terms
direct characterization
the author explains directly what the character is like
indirect characterization
the author shows what the character is like by representing the character's manner of speech, actions, dress, by indicating what others think or say about the character and by revealing what the character himself or herself thinks
tone
the author's attitude toward his or her subject, character, or audience
theme
the central idea of a work of literature that is reflective of the writer's commentary on aspects of society and that is expressed in the form of a univeral statement
resolution
the final part of the story's problems are resolved and the story is "closed"
denouement
the final unraveling of the plot; used as a synonym for falling action
exposition
the first part of a fictional story; the part in which characters, setting and their conflict are usually introduced
flashback
the insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological sequence of a narrative
protagonist
the main character, the one who "drives the action"
climax
the most significant and exciting moment in a plot, a turning point when the outcome is decided one way or another
situational irony
the outcome of events or the state of affairs is the opposite of what one would expect
falling action
the point in a story or play following the climax in which the intensity of action or conflict diminishes and leads to the resolution
initial or inciting incident
the point in a story, play, etc., when conflict is introduced or initiated
rising action
the portion of a story or play in which conflict intensifies, leading to the climax; often contains many complications
characterization
the process of revealing the personality of a character in a story
dramatic irony
the reader perceives something significant that the character misses
plot
the series of related events that make up a story
denotation
the strict, litteral, or factual meaning of a word or phrase
setting
the time and place of a story or play
point of view
the vantage point from which the writer has chosen to tell the story
in media res
to start a story in the middle of an action rather than at the beginning
verbal irony
words imply the opposite of what they literally mean
repetition
words or phrases repeated throughout a story, poem, epic, etc.
social commentary
writing that offers insight into society, its value, and its customs
local color
writing which presents the mannerisms, dress, speech, and customs of a particular geographical region
satire
writing which ridicules society, a group, a social institution, etc., in order to reveal a weakness