Literary Terms

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allegory

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a description or narrative that has a second meaning beneath the surface one.

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allusion

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a reference to something in previous history/literature.

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antihero

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a protagonist lacking qualities of a traditional hero, lacking character.

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character

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people involved in a story, the moral qualities/traits of a character.

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dynamic character

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a character that undergoes and change and achieves growth.

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flat character

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a character summed up in 1 or 2 traits

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foil character

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a minor character whose actions parallel those of a major character and through contrast gives the reader a fuller understanding of the main character.

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round character

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a complex/many-sided character.

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static character

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a character who remains the same throughout the story.

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stock character

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a stereotyped character, is familiar as a type in other works.

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climax

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the turning point/high point in a story in which a character makes a decision or comes to an understanding, changing the rest of the story.

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comedy

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has a happy ending while emphasizing human limitations instead of greatness.

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conflict

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a clash within a story that may be external of internal.

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connotation

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what a word suggests beyond its literal meaning

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denotation

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the dictionary meaning of a word.

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diction

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word choice

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epiphany

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a moment of insight/understanding that greatly alters the character's attitude/life.

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fantasy

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a kind of fiction that pictures creatures or events beyond reality.

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figurative language

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language that employs figures of speech, can't be taken seriously.

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figure of speech

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a way of saying something other than in an ordinary way; an imaginative comparison.

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hero

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protagonist of story w/ qualities of bravery, skill, etc.

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hyperbole

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overstatement for emphasis.

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imagery

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representation through sense experience.

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in medias res

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when a story begins in the middle of things.

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irony

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a situation or use of langugae involving an incongruity

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verbal irony

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irony in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

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dramatic irony

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irony when there is an discrepancy between what a character perceives and what the auhot intends the reader to perceive.

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situational irony

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irony in which there is a situation with an incongruity between appearance and reality or between the actual situation and what seems appropriate.

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metaphor

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a comparison of 2 unlike things.

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motivation

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incentives which cause a character to act the way he does.

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paradox

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a statement/situation which contains contradictory elements but yields some truth.

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plot

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arrangment of events in a story.

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exposition

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the opening of a story that sets the scene, introduces characters, and provides necessary background info.

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complication

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introduces a conflict

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suspense

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anxiety that heightens the reader's attention.

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protagonist

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principal character/hero of story.

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antagonist

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character/force opposed to protagonist.

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foreshadowing

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indications/hints of things to come.

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crisis

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a moment of high tension, usually leading to crisis.

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denouement

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follows the climax and resolves the action (falling action)

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naturalism

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fiction of grim realism in which the writer observes a character as the products or environment/heredity.

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point of view

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the angle of vision from which a story is told.

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omniscient point of view

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when the author writes in the third person and is all-knowing, knows what characters think and why.

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objective point of view

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when the actions and thoughts are presented without opinions.

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limited omniscient

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when the author writes from the 3rd persion but limits himself to understanding of 1 character.

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1st person point of view

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when a story is told by a character within the story

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observer (point of view)

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when the narrator stands a little to the side, watching as the story unfolds.

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innocent/naive narrator

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story told from the point of view of a narrator who does not understand the story.

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unreliable narrator

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narrator who the readers perceives as deceptive or deranged.

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prose

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opposite of poetry, non-metrical writing.

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rites of passage

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a story of initiation into maturity/experience. AKA loss of innocne or story of initiation.

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sarcasm

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bitter or cutting speech intended to injure.

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satire

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literature that pokes fun at human folly with the intention of changing things.

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sentimentality

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a defect in writing when a writer seems to feel emotion and implies that the reader should feel it, but doesn't provide enough info. to become emotional.

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setting

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time and place of a story

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style

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individual characteristics of a piece of writing.

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symbol

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something that means more than what it is. An object, person, or situation that represents something else beyong its literal meaning.

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tone

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emotional coloring of a work, the writer's attitude toward the subject.

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understatement

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deliberately represents something as less than it is for the purpose of ironic contrast.