Literary Terms

static character

A character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end Ex. Scar from The Lion King

Antagonist

A character who works against the protagonist in the story Ex. A villain

Archetype

A character-type, pattern of action, or theme which recurs in many literary works. Ex. The hero or the mother figure

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. Ex. "Cruel kindness" or "living death"

internal conflict

A struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character Ex. In James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis" the young narrator struggles with an internal conflict—between love for his brother and hatred of his brothers disabilities

Anachronism

A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned Ex. Modern businessman is a teepee

Verbal Irony

A writer or speaker says one thing, but really means something completely different Ex. If you call a clumsy basketball player the new Michael Jordan

Diction

A writer's or speaker's choice of words Ex. Some writers use simple, down-to-earth, or even slang words (house, home, digs)

Connotation

All the meanings, associations, or emotions that have a come to be attached to some words, in addition to their literal dictionary definitions, or denotation Ex. Skinny and slender

euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant Ex. You are becoming a little thin on top (bald)

Theme

Central idea of a work of literature Ex. One theme of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet might be stated in this way: "Love is more powerful of hatred"

dymanic character

Changes as a result of the story's events Ex. Harry from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Simile

Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things using the words like or as Ex. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun

Metaphor

Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, in witch one thing becomes another thing without the use of the word like, as, than, or resembles

Hyperbole

Figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or to create a comic effect Ex. The limousine is as long as an ocean liner

Stanza

Group of consecutive lines in a poem that form a single unit Ex. 'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dusty had a great fall All the kings' horses and all the kings' men Couldn't put Humpty together again.'

Personification

Kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human Ex. This poetry gets board of being alone, it wants to go outdoors to chew on the winds, to fill its commas with keels of rowboats... form "Living Poetry" by Hugo Margenat

Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses Ex. 'Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach; A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch And blue spurt of a lighted match...' by Robert Browning

Soliloquy

Long speech in which a character who is onstage alone expresses his or her thoughts aloud Ex. "To be or not to be" speech in Shakespeare's play Hamlet

Protagonist

Main character in fiction or drama Ex. A hero

Climax

Moment of great emotional intensity or suspense in a plot Ex. The major climax in a story or play usually marks the moment when the conflict is decided one way or another

Dramatic Irony

Occurs when the the audience or the reader knows something important that a character in the play or does not know Ex. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, we know, but Romeo does not, that when he finds Juliet in the tomb, she is drugged, not dead.

Situational Irony

Occurs when there is a contrast between what would seem appropriate and what really happens Ex.

1st Person Point of View

One of the characters is actually telling the story using the pronoun "I" Ex. "I am the one who did it"

Character

Person in a story, poem, or play Ex. Sometimes, as in George Orwell's novel "Animal Farm", the characters are animals

Symbol

Person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something beyond itself as well Ex. Herman Melville's great white whale, used as a symbol of the mystery of evil in the novel Moby-Dick

blank verse

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter Ex. But soft! What light through younder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!

nonfiction

Prose writing that deals with real people, things, events, and places Ex. Biographies and autobiographies

Allusion

Reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, science, or pop culture Ex. When tho wise men from the East called Magi, who presented the infant Jesus with the first Christmas gifts. From the book "The Gift of the Magi"

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds that are followed by different consonant sounds Ex. Base and fade

Alliteration

Repetition of the same or very similar consonant sounds Ex. Flung, Flutter, Flirt

Plot

Series of related events that make up a story or drama Ex. An outline showing the "bare bones" of a story

Paradox

Statement or situation that seems to be a contradiction but reveals a truth Ex. "Your enemy's friend is your enemy", "Wise fool", and "I am nobody"

Conflict

Struggle or clash between opposing characters or opposing forces Ex. In "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell there is a conflict between the evil General Zaroff and the hunter Rainsford

Genre

The category in which a work of literature is classified Ex. Poetry, by drama, and by epic and myth

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word Ex. For example, skinny and slender have the same literal definition

Mood/Tone

The emotional stance or attitude an author takes in a piece of writing Ex. Gray Soto's "The Grandfather" is affectionate and nostalgic in tone

Third Person Point of View

The narrator, who plays no part in the story, zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of just one character Ex. "After class, Ghram hurriedly left the room and rushed back to his dorm room"

omniscient point of view

The person telling the story knows everything there is to know about the characters and their problems Ex. Charlie is very heartbroken because his mom dies

Setting

The time and place of a story or play Ex. "It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness or of the carnival season..." from the book 'The Cask o Amontillado'

Foreshadowing

The use of clues to hint at events that will occur later in the plot Ex. In "The Cask of Amontillado", when Montresor produces a towel form beneath his cloak, Poe is foreshadowing the means Montresor will use to murder his enemy

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme Ex. 'I am his Highness' dog at Kew; Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you' by Alexander a Pope

Exposition

Type of writing that explains, gives information, defines, or clarifies an idea Ex. Beginning part of a plot that gives information about the characters and their problems or conflicts

Satire

Type of writing that ridicules something in order to reveal a weakness Ex. Crumbs for the people

Suspense

Uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next in a story Ex. "Our curiosity is aroused at once when we here about Ship-Trap Island and sailors' fear it" In 'The Most Dangerous Game'

Onomatopoeia

Use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning Ex. Bang, Pop, Boom, Splash

Dialect

Way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people Ex. In the United States, the forming language is known as standard English

Direct Characterization

We are told directly what the character is like Ex. Johnny is tall with black hair, he has many friends, and loves to play soccor

Indirect Characterization

We find out about characters indirectly through thoughts, comments, or actions of the characters Ex. 'Jimmy just threw a rock at Pam and hit her in the head'

Aside

Words that are spoken by a character in a play to the audience or to another character but that are not supposed to be overheard by the others on stage Ex. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, there are two sides in the opening scene

external conflict

a character struggles against an outside force Ex. "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell is about the external conflict between the evil General Zaroff and the hunter Rainsford

Motif

a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition. Ex. An idea, an object, a concept, a character archetype, the weather, a color, or even a statement

rising action

a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest. Ex. In the "Little Red Riding Hood" the rising action is when she comes face to face with the Big Bad Wolf

thesis

a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. In "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.'

Fiction

literature in the form of prose, especially short stories and novels, that describes imaginary events and people Ex. Alice and Wonderland

Flashback

scene in a movie, play, short stories, novel, of narrative poem that interrupts the present action of the plot to flash backward and tell what happened at an earlier time Ex. Much of the Odyssey is told in the form of a flash back, as Odysseus describes his previous adventures to the Phaeacian court of King Alcinous

falling action

the parts of a story after the climax and before the very end Ex. In "The Fault in Our Stars" the falling action is when they return to Indianapolis, where Hazel decides to be with him to take good care of him