Literary Terms

dynamic character

A character who grows, learns, or changes over the course of the story as a result of the story's action.

pun

a " humorous play on words" ; often based on the multiple meanings of a single word or words that sound alike but mean different things.

fable

a brief story, usually with animal characters, that teaches a lesson or a moral.

static character

a character who does not change at all, or who remains almost entirely the same, throughout the course of the story.

inference

a conclusion drawn by the reader using what you already know plus information that you read in the text.

metaphor

a figure of speech in which something is described as if it were something else; a comparison made WITHOUT using "like" or "as" in order to suggest a similarity.

biography

a form of non-fiction in which a writer tells the life story of another person

fiction

a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact that tells about ficticious characters and events.

external conflict

a problem or struggle between a character and an outside force: character vs. character character vs. group character vs. nature character vs. society character vs. fate

character trait

a quality that makes up a character's personality; how a character might be described.

motivation

reason that explains or partially explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions, or speech.

character

refers to what someone is like; the qualities and traits they possess that reveal their personality in the story.

repetition

repeated use of sounds, words, ideas or phrases for effect and emphasis.

plot

sequence of events in a literary work.

foreshadowing

use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in the plot; often used to create suspense.

imagery

use of words or phrases to appeal to one or more of the five senses; creates a vivid description to evoke a picture or a sensation of a person, thing, place, or experience for the reader.

subject

what the story or poem is about (the topic).

narrative

writing or speech that tells a story.

hyperbole

use of EXTREME exaggeration.

internal conflict

A problem within a single character (character vs. self); a struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions.

allusion

a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art, that the author assumes the reader will recognize that is often used to help make a comparison.

flashback

a section in a literary piece that interrupts the chronological sequence of events in order to relate an earlier incident or set of events from the past to fill in information or explain something in the present.

irony

a situation where the opposite of what is expected to occur or exist, does occur or exist; the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.

personification

a type of figurative language in which a non-human subject is given human characteristics.

generalization

a vague or indefinite statement that is made to cover many cases. Example: "All human beings hope for something."

idiom

a word or phrase which means something different from what it says - it is usually a metaphor. An idiom is an expression through the usage of vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people. Example: "The immigrants spoke an odd dialect of English"; "he has a strong German accent"

mood

atmosphere or feeling an author creates within the piece of writing; a characteristic state or feeling.

theme

central message, idea, or concern that is expressed in a literary work; the insight about human life that is revealed though is rarely directly stated.

objective details

communicating only the details that are factual and true to life without adding details with any opinion.

subjective details

details that reveal the author's personal feelings, attitudes, or judgments.

resolution

events that occur in the falling action of a story's plot; the end of the story where loose ends are tied up.

simile

figure of speech in which "like" or "as" is used to make a comparison between two basically UNLIKE subjects.

stanza

group of lines in a poem.

oxymoron

joining together words with opposite or near opposite meanings and/or a figure of speech, wherein the author groups contradictory terms to create a unique description. Example: "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness."

moral -

lesson taught by a literary work.

parable

short tale that illustrates a universal truth from ordinary life; a belief that appeals to all people of all civilizations that conveys religious truth, usually related to some aspect of God's Kingdom.

symbol/symbolism

something in a literary work which maintains its own meaning while at the same time stands for something else.

narrator

speaker or character who is telling the story; can be 1st , 2nd, or 3rd person.

tone

the attitude of an author toward the subject that he/she is writing about.

climax

the highest point of action in a story, often the turning point.

speaker

the imaginary voice assumed by the writer of a poem, the one describing the events in a poem; like the narrator in prose - not always the poet.

1st person point of view

the narrator is a character in the story ( I, me, my, we, our ) and the events are told by a character in the story.

3rd person point of view

the narrator is considered to be "all knowing" and can see/hear everything each of the characters in the story are thinking and feeling; the events are told by someone outside the story.

point of view

the perspective from which the writer tells the story (1st, 2nd, 3rd person; omniscient, limited omniscient)

alliteration

the repetition of similar initial consonant sounds in a line of verse used to create a musical or rhythmic effect, to emphasize key words or to imitate sounds. Example: "He was reluctant to return to the room he called home."

direct characterization

the writer directly states the character's traits or characteristics to describe a character's personality.

setting

time, location, and environment of events described in a literary work in which action takes place.

non-fiction

type of literature that tells about real-life people, places, events, things, etc.